In the Hands of Fate
by Talicka
Summary: A murder, a vampire and his family on the run, a werewolf who will go to the ends of the world to revenge it, and a young woman who cannot stop going to Shedd Aquarium on the full moon in summer. Does fate connect them all? A much better summary is inside
1. Prologue

**In the Hands of Fate**

**I do not own the Twilight Saga or any other work by Stephenie Meyer. I do enjoy writing though**

A murder, a vampire and his family on the run, a werewolf who will go to the ends of the world to revenge it, and a young woman who cannot stop going to Shedd Aquarium on the full moon of the summer months. Does fate connect them all? Rated M to be safe

Summary: Elizabeth Frost left for Forks to find out about her father's past, but fate had other plans for her. Thinking that she would never see another vampire again, she walked into Forks High School with confidence that she would learn more about why she could transform into a wolf. The only thing she learned; Jasper had a mean thirst for blood. Everybody at home now believes she is dead. Jasper Cullen didn't mean to bite Elizabeth Frost, but the need was too great. Her blood sang to him, and he took the bait. That choice cost his family their lives in Forks. While the La Push Pack hunts them, they make a run for the one place they think nobody will look. In small town Willsboro, Indiana, Isabella Swan is adjusting to life in a small town with her mother. Every month in the summer during the day of the full moon, she goes to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. She doesn't know why she feels the need to go. It must be important. Rated M just to be safe, I tend use profanity in my stories, that and I don't know how much violence this might have.

Prologue- Elizabeth's POV

I walked into my English class just as the bell rang and handed Mr. Hancock the slip of paper that the office had given me for him to sign. Strangely, this part of my life seemed almost like a routine. My father was in the military, and when he wasn't overseas, he was moving me across the whole continental United States. Within the span of eleven years- kindergarten wasn't included- I had gone to over a grand total of forty schools –give or take a few, I had lost count past ten so it is only a guesstimate-.

I had even lived in Alaska for a little while; Hank realized that I didn't like being there the hard way when I came down sick with cabin fever. I was not one of those kids that coped well with the cold, or being woken up at four in the morning because the sun was up. There were a lot of things I hadn't liked about Alaska, but now, if I had been given the chance now, I would have gladly said "Yes Dad, we can live in Alaska". Alaska looked like a good plan B if anything went wrong here in Forks.

Mr. Hancock told me where to sit, and to my surprise, he didn't make me introduce myself to the entire class. I sighed in relief as I sat down and opened my note book. I enjoyed literature more than any other subject in school, but when Mr. Hancock handed me a book over the play Julius Caesar, I almost groaned. I didn't care much for anything that involved the words "Tragedy" and "Shakespeare" in the same sentence anymore. Everybody died… which depressed me even more than I already was, and trust me, I was _**really**_ depressed.

"The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is not about Caesar, but about his friend, Brutus." Mr. Hancock droned on in his dull voice. I had already read the play last year when I lived in Indiana. It wasn't much different than what my teacher had said when we first started reading it in my sophomore year. I was scribbling a doodle on my note book when the teacher called my name. I looked up at him with dull eyes.

"Can you repeat the question Mr. Hancock?" I asked in a slightly bored tone.

"What is the play about Ms. Frost." His tone of voice made me realize he must have called my name a couple of times before he had pulled me out of my stupor. The question was easy enough though.

"The play is about many things Mr. Hancock." I began, choosing my words carefully to make sure I didn't talk too fast. "It is about human nature, but that is one of the things Shakespeare was known for writing about, so that is too broad of a term. It is about friendship, between Caesar and Brutus, as well as between Brutus and his brother-in-law Cassius, but the play is also about conspiracy and what a man will do for honor." I sat back in my chair and waited for Mr. Hancock's response.

The older English teacher walked over to me. I looked up, the smug expression on my face was now gone, yet again, I was positive he hadn't seen the look on my face to begin with. He looked down at my paper. "I see you aren't taking notes, why is that Elizabeth?"

"I have a notebook at home that has plenty of stuff on this play if you want me to go get it." I said simply.

"Have you already read this play Ms. Frost?"

I nodded. "I was in an advanced class for English last year." I responded.

Mr. Hancock pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. "Try to pay attention anyway Ms. Frost. We'll see how much of this play you really know later on in this year." He then returned to the front of the classroom.

This was going to be a long semester.

The rest of the period was spent discussing words Shakespeare used during the time period as well as his way of writing. I was ready for my next period class when the time came for us students to leave. I wasn't as lucky though.

"Elizabeth, will you please come here." Mr. Hancock called as I got up to leave. I slowly walked over to his desk and looked at him. "What grade are you in?"

The question took me off balance. I looked at him and waited for him to say something. He didn't. "I'm a junior Mr. Hancock."

"You should go to the office. I think they put you in the wrong class. Yes, this is a junior class." He said before I could ask him if they put me in a sophomore class. "But, you may do better in a different English class."

"Okay Mr. Hancock. I'll go talk to the office now." I walked slowly out of the classroom towards the office. I felt sick to my stomach, and just as I walked into the office, I saw them. _Vampires_

Unlike most people, I wasn't blind to those who walked in the shadows, those who were rarely touched by the sun. If Gerard had never bit me back in September of last year, I wouldn't have thought much about vampires that went to school, but he did, so I wasn't going to fool myself. These animals were dangerous. I felt my heart skip a few beats. Suddenly the quiet buzz of the thoughts of everybody seemed too loud for me to stand, and I felt woozy. I sneezed and then realized what was going wrong.

My number was definitely up back in Indiana, everything past that was just to prove that I should've been dead over a year ago. I gulped for air and made a run for it as the group of four vampires advanced on me.

AN: It's a little short, and it's my first twilight fanfic so I'm still working out the kinks. Please bare with me and tell me if anything is wrong. I'm going to try not to go OOC but I have no promises because my characters take on a life of their own after the first few chapters. As always, I love reading my readers reviews and I look forward to seeing what everybody thinks. Till then, Talicka


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- Jacob's POV

I was enraged, and the pack knew it. Normally, running through the lush green forest around La Push calmed me down. It was the thrill of the hunt, and the feeling of wind in my fur that helped me lose myself and calm down, but as we hunted down that parasite _Jasper Cullen_, my rage only grew. I felt the pack grow tense around me. They knew what happened when I got this mad. Luckily, I was already in my wolf form.

_When I get my jaws around that fucking parasite that shit face is going to regret ever killing Frost in the first place. _My tongue lolled as I thought about crushing his throat.

_Jacob, will you stop freaking cussing like that? _Leah growled somewhere behind me. I brushed her off

_Jake, you didn't even know her. _Quil tried to calm me, but I brushed his comment off too and surged forward. I felt my muscles ripple as I readied myself for a jump over a downed tree that was covered thickly with moss.

We had to be catching up to him. We _had _to catch him, or else I would never forgive myself.

The pack only used this as an excuse to kill the vampires that had been living in Forks for the past three and a half years. I saw this as so much more. It complicated everything in my life, and I felt like it was entirely my fault.

I hadn't known the girl that had been killed, but when Charlie Swan, the police chief of Forks and close friend of my dad's, had called my father up to come to the scene of the incident, I quickly learned about who she was.

Her name had been Elizabeth Janine Frost, and she was the kid of a friend of my father's and Charlie's. The picture that had been found on her had told the three of us that much. I had met her once when she had asked me for some help on her car when it had broke down on the side of the road in La Push days before. She had been so nice and bubbly when I had talked to her. She was so at ease, and she even knew a bit about cars. I wish I could've gotten to know her. There was something about her that seemed to remind me of my wolf brethren.

The problem was that the entire pack knew how I felt. If the teasing from Quil and Embry was enough to drive me mad, I was ready to kill Leah when she told me to stop thinking about her. I made an asshole out of myself when I told her to fuck off because she had no room to talk. She tormented us with her thoughts of Sam. I think that our little fucked up pack would be the next best soap opera if anybody knew about the shit that we had to deal with on a daily basis.

I was fucking sick of it all.

I wanted some privacy, but I had to kill the Cullen kid first, and I would.

"_I can't figure out what happened to her." Charlie Swan said as he had looked down at the girl that was curled up at his feet. Her red curls trailed down her back, standing out against the green shirt she had been wearing. The jeans she had been wearing looked like something out of a Hot Topic, even though the nearest one was in Seattle._

"_Looks like an animal attack." Billy had said upon close inspection. He looked down at her, sadness was clear in his dark eyes. "It went straight for her throat and slit the main vein. It must have been a bear, or maybe a wolf." He shook his head. "Hank will be so upset. Last time I talked to him, she was his pride and joy."_

_Seeing that look on my father, I had to wonder. How _close was to Frost's father? _I had only seen that look on my father before, when my mother died in the car wreck._ Frost,_ I started calling her that to keep myself thinking about her body. She looked so broken. I went to pick her up, crying like a little baby. I felt connected to her, and to see her dead made me feel like I had lost a member of the pack. As sick and fucked up as our pack was. _

No more bubbly laughs, no more artistic drawings to worry about. _I had seen the drawings in her car. She was an _amazing_ artist._

Life sucks and then you die. _I thought sadly. _Find somebody you might've liked if you got the chance. BOOM! A freaking vampire kills her after less than a week in Forks.

_Jake will you get your head out of the clouds. _Paul growled as he caught up to me. _It's not like you _imprinted _on her._

_Well she would have been better than imprinting on my sister. _I huffed and ran faster. Paul was such a jerk, and personally, I was glad I hadn't imprinted on her. I enjoyed the freedom of having a choice in my love life. We continued to follow the trail towards the mountains. _These vampires are so predictable. They go someplace they know. _The pack agreed silently, except for Sam.

_I think that we should split. There has to be a trap or something. They wouldn't make it this easy. Jake? _

_What is it Sam? _I stopped at the base of a large redwood. We were in California now, but the trail was changing direction. He was going east. I vaguely thought about where Frost had lived before she moved to Forks as I waited for Sam to tell me what his plan was. _Willsboro, Indiana_. _Could they possibly be going that way? _

_I doubt that. _Sam said simply as he walked up. I was taller than him now. Not by much, but still taller. _They wouldn't even know where she lived. _

_Check school records. She's been to plenty of schools. They'd be able to find where she last lived that way. _I looked east. I just _knew _they were going to Indiana. _Sam, trust me. I've got this feeling. _

_I know. I was going to say, I doubt that they would be going there, but I'll let you go ahead and follow the path with Quil and Embry. If you find anything call your father and tell him. The rest of us are going back to Forks. Maybe we missed something before we left. _Sam turned away from me and walked towards the rest of the pack as Quil and Embry trotted up to me.

_I will find him Sam. I will find that parasite and kill him or die trying. _

Sam nodded. He and the other six members of the pack shot of towards Forks, leaving Quil, Embry, and myself to follow my instincts. I looked at them.

_Let's get going. We've got a vampire to kill._

We shot off towards the east. I was ready as my mind thought of more ways to kill that son of a bitch.

AN: Another short chapter. Which would be better, Bella next, Edward, or Elizabeth…. Hmmm… so much to think of… so many possibilities… Don't forget to review please. I look forward to reading what you think. Talicka


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- Jasper's POV

I felt horrible. There was no way to explain how horrible I felt.

I had broken the treaty.

I had bitten, and then killed a human.

I couldn't believe how weak I was.

Alice sat beside me as I looked over across the lake. It had taken days to get this far. She touched my arm, looking to comfort me in any way. I took her delicate hand in mine and kissed it.

"Thanks for dealing with my weak ass self." I murmured into her hand. "I couldn't control myself."

_I was on the way to second period when I smelt her. Elizabeth Frost. Her name made me shudder with guilt. She was walking, what could have been running away from Edward, Alice, Emmet, and I. I didn't pay much attention to her until I walked into my next hour class. I was in Chemistry while the others took different classes that they had already taken before. She handed Mrs. Burkes a form and then went to sit in the only seat available in the entire room, the one right behind me. Her sent hit me hard when she walked past me. _

_I had never wanted somebody's blood as much as I did her. I held my breath. It didn't help that I hadn't gone on a hunt in almost two weeks and I was weak with hunger. _

"_Um… Sir?"_ _She had asked as she poked my back. I turned around and looked at her. Her red-gold locks curled up around her shoulders and her grey eyes shone brightly. _

"_Yes?" I asked slowly. _Steady Jasper. Steady. Just get through this period.

"_Can I share a book with you? The bookstore doesn't have any Chemistry books to spare as of right now and…"_

_I slowly opened the book on the corner of my desk where it touched her. _God if this keeps up I won't last. _I looked around desperately. "Sure, I'll be right back." _

_I walked up to Mrs. Burkes and waited for her to get off with the office. I had no doubt in my mind that the call was about the Chemistry book the girl behind me needed. She finished and looked at me. "Yes Jasper?"_

"_May I go to the nurse? I'm not feeling well." I said softly, hoping she would agree to let me go._

"_Yes." _

_I practically ran out of the room and into the fresh air. I breathed in deeply and sat down on the sidewalk. _I won't last. I'm so hungry. _I thought as the fresh air cleansed my nose of her sent. I was new to being a 'vegetarian' and having her in my class was definitely not helping me at all. I plotted and planned, thinking of a way to kill her without anybody noticing. After deciding that I couldn't hurt my family in that way, I began to think of a way to avoid her._

_It didn't work out that way._

_She was in my next class with me. I shouldn't have given her the book. She handed it back to me on the way to class. I asked her what her next class was. She said psychology._

Great, this is not going to be easy.

"_I'm Elizabeth by the way… Elizabeth Frost." She reached her hand out in a friendly shake._

"_Jasper" I took her hand and shook it. "Jasper Cullen's the name."_

_She smiled. Her blues eyes lighting up as her grin dominated her face. She didn't look to bad, but I already had Alice. Alice was all I needed. _

_When we met in the third class after that, pre-calculus, I broke. I had to get some blood in my system or I was going to kill the girl in the red curls. I was going to kill a human and break the treaty if she wasn't out of my sight by the next period. I tried self control; I was losing._

_On the walk to our next class, Elizabeth looked me in the eyes. "You don't look well." She said softly. I could feel the panic that was edging into her voice. I reached out and calmed her at once, but she still looked a little worried. I gulped and looked at her neck as the April wind blew her scent near me. _

_She was back in hysteria. I could feel it, and again, I calmed it. She knew what I was thinking. She was like Edward, but how? She wasn't a vampire. She couldn't be._

"_JASPER DON'T!" Alice and Edward yelled simultaneously, but they were too late. _

_I went for her neck, dragging her away from the school yard. Her screams were muffled by my hand that was over her mouth._

Alice snuggled up to me. "I'm sorry I was too late." She whispered and closed her eyes.

We weren't tired. I just felt like taking a break. We had been on the run since April, and now it was mid May. We had finally reached Lake Michigan, butwe weren't at the end of our journey yet. I was worried about going through Chicago, or any big cities for that matter. Killing a girl will do that to you I guess.

"Don't go on blaming yourself. It's my fault. I caved. You have no clue how much her blood sang to me though. She didn't smell like the rest of the humans there. She seemed to smell stronger of blood, and…." I heaved a sigh. I couldn't go on like this for much longer. "We better get going."

Alice frowned. "I thought we were going to go hunting?"

"Oh yea, we probably should do that." I had been forgetting the thirst ever since I drank that girl's blood. I don't know what it did, but I was thankful for it. It helped me recover myself after killing her. I just wish I hadn't done it. The wolves, mangy mutts, came after us after they learned about what I did. We all had to leave. Edward was going the same way we were, while Emmett and Rosalie went to Alaska with Carlisle and Esme. They felt like Tanya's coven was the best place for them.

I didn't know why, but I felt like I had to go to where Elizabeth was born. Edward felt the same. Fate was taking us somewhere. I didn't know where exactly, but it had its ideas for us. Something was waiting for us in Willsboro. I just wish I knew what it was.

Alice helped me up, even though I really didn't need it. "Come on then. Let's go see what we can find around here." She smiled and kissed me. "Don't worry Jazz. We'll be out of harm's way in no time. You'll see."

I nodded, hoping she was right. "I bet all we find here is deer." I said and hugged her close. "We are in Wisconsin.

"We could eat cows." She said and smiled. "I bet you'd love a little beef."

I shook my head and laughed. "Nah, I don't need the farmers after us as well."

"We can outrun them remember?"

I shook my head. "You're really into the idea of trying cow aren't you?"

She was right. At least we could outrun the farmers, I wish I could say the same about the wolves.

AN: So now we at least know how Elizabeth died. Or did she really die? Please review. Talicka


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- Bella's POV

I had never dealt with a winter quite like the one I had just dealt with. The storms had been horrible, the weather had been freezing, and by the time April came along, I was ready for it to start warming up.

But here I was in the middle of May in 75 degree weather. The deck did feel hot under my feet, but there was nothing else about the temperature that I would say was hot.

_Why did Mom decide to move here again? _I wondered for what might have been the one millionth time. It was exactly what she had run away from. A small town with too closely knit of a community.

I looked up at the fast approaching storm and sighed. So much for enjoying a day outside, it wasn't warm enough, was too humid, and now this. It was going to rain.

Willsboro, Indiana was the last place I would have expected my mother to go… well it was the second to last place. The last place would be the town I had spent so many summers at with Charlie, Forks. I had to admit, Willsboro was at least a little bearable, even though the winter had been colder than shit. I wondered idly about my friends back in Phoenix and then decided I should head in. I looked at the clock that hung above the dining table. It was twelve p.m. I felt like I had to be somewhere. But where was there to go?

Then it hit me.

Shedd Aquarium.

The place was practically calling to me. The problem, it was a four hour drive to Chicago. I'd be home extra late, and mom would be wondering what happened to me. Well, actually, I think I'd be the one worrying about where she went.

My mom was now trying to learn how to play guitar. As much as I told her she should make sure she didn't spend too much money on a guitar she might never use again, she still decided to go for it. She was doing better with guitar than any other craft she had been trying to do, so maybe she would finally find her niche.

I hoped so.

I quickly pulled my truck keys off of the key rack and wrote Mom a hasty letter.

**Hey mom, going to Shedd. See you at 10, or later. I'll be home as soon as possible. Love ya! Bella**

I rushed out the door to my favorite place. The drive was long, and I was ready to get out of the car by the time I got to the museum sector of Chicago. At least, that's what I called it.

Shedd Aquarium still took my breath away when I walked inside. The wait had been a little long, and I only had four hours, they had extended their hours a little since it was close to summer, left to see the place. I showed one of the people at the ticket counter my season pass and walked inside.

I loved this place. It was hard to explain, but something just drew me there. The fish, the monkeys in the Amazon Rising area, the beluga whales, the penguins, I loved everything. I walked up a flight of stairs looking for the one place that always caught my eyes; the gift shop.

I might not have had much money, but I loved looking at the millions of different things they sold there. I laughed as younger kids ran around me to look at stuffed animals, their parents scolding them from running away. It was strange, the place, for once, was empty. Only a few people walked around here and there. Normally the place was so busy you had to shove your way across the hallway. I walked around taking everything in, just like I had the first time I had walked inside this building.

I never wanted to leave. I felt at home and I felt at ease around the fish. It made me think that my mom had been right. I should've taken that class about marine biology in school when I had the chance. Biology was something that I was good at. I sucked at math, hated chemistry, and dealt with literature. Biology was the only class that just… clicked.

I began to walk down the stairs towards the beluga pool when I had the feeling somebody was watching me.

I turned around to find nobody. I shrugged it off and decided I must have been paranoid. I smiled when a large beluga surfaced to the water just as I walked by. The first time I had gone to the aquarium, I had been standing right next to the glass when the largest of the three belugas swam right by me. I had to admit, it scared the living shit out of me, but I was amazed at how _big _they got. It had to be a good three feet taller than I was, and I was awestruck. I had been going down to the Polar Play Zone ever since. I loved it.

I didn't know what my problem was, but it just felt like something was a little off. Maybe it was the lack of tourists, maybe it was just paranoia, but I felt like somebody was watching me still. I turned around again.

Nothing, not even a small child or a museum guide was around. I shook my head and walked back up the stairs and then back down another flight. I walked through the museum until closing time, and then when it was time to leave, I left. I stopped at a McDonald's on the way home, and when I walked in the door, my mother attacked me in a huge hug. I smiled.

"Hey Mom"

"How was your day at the museum? I hope you enjoyed yourself. I think I'm beginning to understand how playing a guitar works. Tom thinks I might need to keep working at it, but I'm getting there."

I smiled. "That's great Mom." I yawned. "I should get to bed. Love you." I said as I walked into my room.

"I love you too honey." My mom watched me go into my room.

I closed my door and walked over to the full sized bed I had gotten two years ago. The mattress was comfortable, and since the winter had been so cold, I was glad my mom had gotten me a large comforter to sleep with. If it hadn't been for the comforter, I was positive I would've frozen my ass off halfway through the winter. I readied myself for bed and slept like a log. My dreams were not as peaceful as I had hoped them to be though.

_Bella. Something was calling my name. Isabella. I wish I knew what it was._

_I ran towards the sound of the voice. "What do you want?" I yelled in the general direction of the voice. It sounded like velvet and had a soft sexy roll to it when I heard my full name. It sent shivers down my spine. "Who are you?"_

_Silence greeted my words, enveloping them. _

"_What do you want?" I yelled again._

_Still nothing._

I woke that morning in a sweat. Who was the man with the velvet voice, and why did I always dream of him after going to Shedd?

AN: Chapter 3 is now finished! Please review. Talicka


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_I felt like I was falling. Darkness wrapped its arms around me and took me away from life. I had never thought death would be like this. I screamed, wishing that the feeling of his fangs on my neck would disappear. It didn't._

_What would happen if I hit the bottom? Would that be the end of my life? I felt like I was being suffocated by the darkness. It was swallowing me, and just when I thought everything was over. I changed into my original wolf form. My coat was back to the grey color I had been before the transformation. I hit the bottom with a thud my eyes shut tight. I hoped nothing was broken. _

"_We need you. Come home Elizabeth". Whispers echoed in my ears. I couldn't believe it, my pack was calling to me. "Come home."_

_I opened my eyes, expecting to see a bright shining light. I should have known that I'd be sent back to my personal hell. I was standing, in all my four legged furred glory, in the middle of a corn field._

_I hated Indiana._

"_Twilight, come home."_

_I knew that voice. "Nathan?" I yelped and stood up, wincing as I stepped down on my left forepaw. I knew it would set back into place quickly enough, but it still hurt. "Nathan, where are you!" I howled. _

_I halfway hoped he'd show up out of nowhere, like he always did. There was nothing but corn to my disappointment._

Why should I go home?_ I wondered._

_I started to walk, letting my feet take me where they wanted. Then, I saw him._

_A large black wolf with dark brown eyes emerged from the corn. Nathan, the one wolf I'd have no choice but to follow. He wasn't the leader of our pack, but he had control over me in a way most didn't. I was his leader, but he was mine. We were intertwined, forced together because of the situation we both were in._

_We shouldn't have existed. Our kind wasn't real, and I wasn't talking about being a wolf. I was talking about something that was even more confusing than that. _

"_Come home Elizabeth". He spoke, using his mouth instead of the normal telepathic connection we shared. "We need you here now. Fate is calling. You're father left, he thinks you're dead. You need to set things straight."_

_I rolled my eyes. "Please, tell me why I have to return home." _

"_I can't. Not until you come home. You have to hurry."_

_I sighed. "No. Something isn't right Nate. I can't go. I haven't even found out about my father."_

_He howled the most antagonized howl I had ever heard. _

His enraged howl woke something inside of me. I emerged out of the dark waters that had a hold of me and struggled to stay above it all. I didn't want to return into that darkness anytime soon. My vision was clouded when I first opened my eyes, but once I gained clarity, I wished that I had let the darkness consume me completely.

Another vampire was standing over me.

"Oh good, you really are alive." His tawny eyes shone with relief. "I was getting a little worried; you've been asleep for days." His blond hair fell into his eyes as he got a wash cloth. "You lost a lot of blood when Jasper attacked you." He looked away and shook his head. "I'm sorry about him doing that. He was always the weak link in our family."

I tried sitting up, but he gently pushed me back down. "Who are you?" I groaned as the hunger for blood caught me off guard. I had dealt with the thirst before, but it had never been as strong as it was this time.

"I'm Carlisle Cullen."

"Mr. Cullen," I cleared my voice. "I don't care if you chain me to this chair, I will find a way out, and I _will _go out and hunt." I growled out because my hunger was driving me mad.

"So you are a vampire like us then aren't you?"

I sighed, exasperated. "Mr. Cullen, I am a vampire, but I'm not the same kind of vampire as you."

He nodded.

"And Mr. Cullen?"

"What Elizabeth?"

"How did you find my body?"

"It's a long story, but why don't you tell me what happened with Jasper first? He ran off before I could ask him what happened."

I nodded and launched into my story.

"It was my first day at Forks High School, Mr. Cullen, and I had been hoping to find out something out about my father before the day was over. You see, Mr. Cullen," I said as I pulled out the photo of my father that I had found in his closet. "my father used to live her in Forks." I handed him the picture of my father standing in front of the 'Welcome to Forks' sign. "He's the one in the middle with the mullet." I rolled my eyes at my father's hairstyle of choice.

Carlisle chuckled. "And that's Billy Black and Charlie Swan." He said pointing to the two men. "But who are the two ladies standing next to Charlie and your father?"

"I don't know who she is," I said as I pointed to the girl next to Charlie. "but the one next to my father is my mother, Sherry Morgan."

Carlisle nodded. "I see."

"So I was walking out of the office when I saw… your family…"

"Can you describe who you saw?"

"There was one who had bronze hair and was about this tall, he seemed to notice me before the others did, and I think he heard what I was thinking because he started to acting strange." I lifted my hand above my head to show how much taller than me he was. "Of course, there was Jasper, the other guy was a little shorter than the one with the bronze haired boy, but he had a heavier build. If I hadn't known any better, I would have said he could change into a grizzly."

Carlisle laughed at that. "Emmett loves eating grizzly, so that makes sense."

I nodded. "The last one was a little shorter than my height, which is 5 foot 5 inches, and had a spiky black hair."

"Okay, Edward is the one with the bronze colored hair. He was wearing a jacket that looked like it belonged in the 1900's right?"

I nodded.

"Emmett is the grizzly." He said chuckling. "The last one, the girl with the spiky black hair, is Alice."

"Well anyway, I recognized them for vampires and made run for it. I don't trust vampires, even if they do seem civilized enough for public. The vampire that bit me went to school as well, but he was looking for an easy food source in a small town, unlike your family." I explained. "I ran into Jasper the next period in chemistry. I knew what his problem was." As I continued to explain what happened, I remembered the tiny details, the warnings and the inevitability of everything.

_He was thinking about killing me. I knew that he could smell the unfortunate smell that wafted off of me. I had no choice; it was a part of who I was. My scent took on the most potent smell for a vampire. I became something that sang out to them, like a Venus flytrap was brightly colored to draw in flies, my smell drew in vampires. _

_We met again outside of class on the way to psychology. I gave him his book back, and I knew that if we had to next class together, he'd cave. I was looking forward to the fight actually. I hated vampires more than I did anything, but I guess something made me change my mind on the way to class. _

_We had pre-calculus together that next period. I didn't last long. I knew I was going to get attacked the minute I heard Alice and Edward scream Jasper's name. His hands where wrapped around my mouth as he went to bite down on my neck. I screamed, and fought against him, and actually, I managed to bang him up pretty bad, but that wasn't enough. _

_I blacked out five minutes into his frenzy. I knew I had lost too much blood, and the reason why I had blacked out was because my body needed to repair itself. The safest thing to do was put myself into a comma, even though it wasn't my choice. My body had its way of dealing with the attack. It wasn't the first time I had been taken out by a vampire, and it wouldn't be my last. _

Carlisle sat through my entire story. I was just getting ready to finish how I had managed to begin to shift into my half-form, or at least, that's what I called it, when he held hands up.

"Your what form?" He asked in confusion.

I sighed and stood up. "Mr. Cullen, I'll show you, but I bet all it's going to do is confuse you more."

I changed into my half-form, which I really had come to call my true form. I was standing on my hind legs, which were shaped like the hind paws of a dog. Thick, glossy, white fur covered most of my body and my hair looked more like a lion's mane on the top of my head. The red curls had been replaced by a pure silver color. I looked like a true werewolf, but I knew that I was merely half vampire, half wolf in that from. My thirst for blood and extraordinary sense of smell, sight, and taste told me that much. I looked at Mr. Cullen, who was staring at me with both shock and fear. I could smell his fear sent, but I shook my head and laughed softly.

"Don't worry Mr. Cullen." I said dismissively as his thoughts gave him away. "I'm not a werewolf. I'm a white wolf."

"What the fuck is a white wolf?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm a wolf that is part vampire. I happen to be one of the two of us with the lucky mutation that keeps me from dying if I'm bit by a vampire. The other is my friend, Nathan Carson. He is the black wolf."

Carlisle shook his head in disbelief. "And what exactly does that mean?"

"There is way too much to explain in one sitting Mr. Cullen."

"Tell me anyway."

So I sat down and explained everything, and I mean I explained every little teensy weensy detail about what I was.

"A white wolf, in many legends, is a mythical creature that can cure sick, heal the wounded, and make peace with every living thing. She is the defender and heart of her pack and leads it fearlessly into battle against the ones who are not touched by the sun. Vampires. In reality, I can do about half of that, and it's at a price I could never expect. I have to deal with the thirst for blood, and the hunger for raw meat. It sucks completely, but I deal with it. If I get to a human in time, I can change them back into a human if they are bitten, and not killed, by a vampire. My venom is dangerous to your kind Carlisle. If I bit you, you'd be dead within a few hours. The black wolf is supposed to be the white wolf's mate, but something went wrong. Nate and I might be close friends, but we didn't feel the connection we were supposed to feel for each other. We were supposed to imprint. Imprinting is basically what I'd call 'love at first sight', and we didn't fall in love like we were supposed to. Being what I am hurts me more than anything because of the two side of me that are always conflicting with each other. Vampires and wolves have never gotten along, and it's no surprise that they can't even get along inside of one person. One side is always trying to dominate the other, and when both sides are finally neutral, my human self gets sucked up into the situation and I get screwed up even more." I looked at Carlisle with dull sad eyes. "I was actually kind of hoping Jasper really did kill me when he attacked, but I knew it wouldn't be that way. I'm sorry for what I've done Carlisle. I know what Jasper did to your family."

Carlisle nodded and left the room, leaving me to contemplate what Nate had told me in my dream. He came back shortly with a vile of blood.

"Here, it's all I have, but you need to get something in your body before you starve."

I nodded and reluctantly drank that blood that he had given me.

"Carlisle?" I asked softly after finishing off the rest of the blood he had given me.

"Yes?"

"Where exactly are we?"

"Ms. Frost, we're in Alaska, spending some time with a friend of mine's coven."

I contemplated how far I could get on the amount of blood I had drunk. It wasn't far.

"Why?"

"I need to get to Willsboro, Indiana A.S.A.P."

AN: Chapter 5 is finished. Please review, I want to know what everybody thinks so far. Talicka


	6. Chapter 5

I don't own The Hush Sound, or their lyrics.

Chapter 5- Jacob's POV

I silently crept up on the grazing deer, hoping Embry and Quil would be quiet for once. I hadn't eaten well in weeks, and this was my only chance at a decent meal. I jumped up at the large buck; he sprang forward, half jumping- half running, away from me. I let my paws eat the ground up as I chased after him.

_Jake! Be careful, there's a house up ahead! _I heard Quil's scream in my head just as I brought the deer down.

I looked up and saw that I was in the backyard of a decent sized house. I gulped and looked around. There were so many trees I didn't know where the forest had ended and where the yard had begun. I felt my heart sink as I realized that if anybody came to their window to take a casual glance out the window, they'd see this huge, almost horse sized, wolf standing and staring at the house. I grabbed my catch and drug it back into the woods.

_I wish you had told me about that _before _I got to close Quil. _I tore off a large chunk of the deer's hind leg and ate greedily. I was actually beginning to like the taste of raw meat, but I chalked that up to the 'it's a wolf thing' idea. It was just something you got used to when you were a wolf.

_We were almost too late when we saw it ourselves Jake. _Embry defended. _We tried to stop you, but you were too far ahead of us. _He sat down next to the deer carcass and ate. Quil was the last to join us.

We ate in silence for a good fifteen minutes. I was almost asleep when we heard the first howl. Quil jolted upright and looked at Embry, who in turn looked at me.

I gulped.

_Okay guys, don't panic. I bet we could take on any wolves that tried to attack us. I mean, look at how big we are. _

_Yeah, but we've never met any wild wolves before Jake. What if they attack us anyway? I mean, I'm pretty sure we'd win, but what if…_

I knew the question before he even asked it. What if they aren't wild wolves? What if they were real werewolves? What would we do then?

Before we even had the chance to come up with a way to deal with the situation, five large wolves walked up into our camp. The largest one was completely black with dark brown eyes. He reminded me of Sam.

"What are you doing here, trespasser?" He spoke with a ragged voice, obviously not use to the words it was forming. "What is your purpose?"

I looked at Quil and Embry and knew that I wore a face very similar to the 'what the fuck? How the hell is he _doing _that?' that they had.

"If you cannot speak like I can, show me your true selves." He growled and changed right before our eyes.

I nodded and felt strange to be human, almost unnatural. I looked at the guy who stood in front of me. He was a few inches shorter than I was, with short spiky black hair. His eyes were a little lighter than what they were in his wolf form, but I wasn't too surprised by that. None of us looked _exactly _the same when changing back and forth between forms.

"I am Jacob Black." I looked at Quil and Embry, and was happy to see that they had both changed as well. "I am here chasing after a group of three vampires. Have you seen any?"

"Not since October, Jacob." He spoke slowly, as if he had a hard time keeping control of himself. "I am Nathan Carson."

"Are you the leader of this pack Nathan?"

"No, our leader has been gone since October as well. Please, call me Nate." He smiled, showing me that he wasn't as old as I thought he was. He seemed to be about a year or so older than I was, which came as a relief to me. Sometimes it was easier to deal with another teenager than it was with an adult. "Why don't you follow me? We got a nice place not too far from hear that is safe from wandering eyes."

_Wandering eyes? Who would be out here in the middle of the forest? _

Nate was right; the large barn wasn't that far from where we were. When we walked inside the old rickety structure, I was happy to see the other four wolves change into humans. It eased some of the tension that was in the air.

The inside of the barn was in much better condition than the outside of it. I could tell that they had meant it to be that way so that nobody would come near the place. While the outside looked like it was going to fall in at any moment, the inside was almost the complete opposite. I leaned against a wooden beam that rose all the way up to the top of the barn. I guessed it was the main support holding it up.

Nate sat down on the couch that was across from me. "You don't seem to be very comfortable around these parts. How far from here do you live?"

"Washington." Embry answered before I had the chance to think. I glared at him.

Nate whistled. "That's a long way brother." He smiled and reached into a cooler. He tossed a Coke to me, Embry, and Quil. I opened the top and began to chug the cold liquid down. "That's where our leader went actually… You didn't happen to meet an Elizabeth Frost did you?"

I started choking and spit out the pop that had been on my mouth. "W-who?" I asked in disbelief.

"Elizabeth. Frost." He said slowly. "Did you meet her?

"Yeah, and I'm sorry, but she's not coming back." I said angrily.

"Dude calm down before you break something." A young girl with dark brown hair said as she walked by. I hadn't realized how hard I was squeezing the Coke can until she walked by.

I let it slip out of my hands and fall to the floor. I felt the anger of the last few months all come back. I growled and began shaking all over. I had to gain control before I changed. I pushed the idea of changing out of my head and closed my eyes.

"What do you mean, not coming back?" Another girl asked.

"She promised she would." A dark skinned guy with curly black hair said soflty.

"Yeah!" Three more joined in.

I looked around, finally realizing how big the pack that had taken us in was. I heard Embry, or maybe it was Quil, maybe it was both, gasp.

We were standing in a large barn with over twelve people besides us in it. Three girls were sitting in the rafters above us. A couple of guys were lounging up there as well. Nate and the other four that had brought us inside were on the ground level with us, while another two guys were climbing down the ladder from the rafters. I gulped.

"I mean, she's dead." I said softly at first, then let my voice raise in the anger and anguish of knowing that she had been a wolf just like me, and that she was dead. "She was attacked by a vampire. One of the three we seek. They broke a treaty with us, and I will not stop until her killer is dead!"

Nate burned a large bonfire behind the barn that night. He and his pack were as silent as the stars above them, and I felt horrible because of I had to be the bearer of bad news.

One girl, the one with the brown hair that had told me to calm down hours before, walked up to the fire and held out her hands. Two others, one with black hair and strange purple eyes, and another that had light blond hair and teal highlights, joined her.

_You came to me,_

_In seamless sleep_

_And slipped right in_

_Behind my eye_

_In the back of my mind_

_We swam a sea_

_Of pretty sights, and chandelier skies_

_I swore I could feel you breathe._

_It was all so real to me._

The three girls sang in perfect harmony and melody with each other, and as I listened, I couldn't help but to cry like a little baby. I didn't care if Quil and Embry were there. For some reason, the lyrics made perfect sense to me. This was Elizabeth, it was probably a song she had loved to listen to, and they were contributing what they could to tell her; that they were sorry they had no other way to tell her that. Two guys joined in softly.

_The light had slipped through the window_

_The morning ripped you away, oh._

_The light had slipped through the window,_

_The morning ripped you away oh._

The two guys dropped out and let the girls continue their song. I guessed that they were singing the chorus, while the girls were sing the verses. I was surprised that the entire pack knew the song, but as each verse ended, more people joined in.

_Don't wake me up,_

_I am still dreaming,_

_The story's undone_

_Unravel at the seams_

_Don't wake me up_

_Death is misleading,_

_And when I fall asleep, _

_Sleep with your ghost_

_I looked in the dark  
The room calm and cold  
And quiet hollow  
I am such a haunted soul  
Your ghost has gone to bed  
Its all cold  
_  
_The light had slipped through the window  
The morning ripped you away oh_

_Don't wake me up  
I am still dreaming  
The story's undone  
Unravel at the seams  
Don't wake me up  
Death is misleading  
And when I fall asleep  
Sleep with a ghost  
_

Everybody dropped out except for the one girl with light blond hair and teal highlights. I was beginning to wish I knew everybody's name, I knew hers, but it was only because Nate had yelled at her while they were busy with building the bond fire. Haley Jacobs stood alone. Softly she sang while a few people hummed along.

_Oh you were a fire caught in a storm  
Memories like embers keep us warm  
You will leave me in the morning_

_You will leave me in the morning._

_The light had slipped through the window  
The morning ripped you away oh_

She stopped and looked at the fire with tears in her eyes. "Elizabeth, come home." She whispered to herself. "Please, come home."

I walked over to her and gently put my arms around her. "Haley, I'm so sorry." I whispered and tried my hardest to comfort her. "What's the name of that song?"

"Don't Wake Me Up, it's by The Hush Sound." She whispered. Tears were still sliding off her face. "The only reason why we all knew it so well was because she sang it all of the time, and when she didn't sing it, she was thinking about it." Haley shook her head sadly. "She was a fire caught in a storm." She said softly.

It was then that I knew I had to do more than just kill Jasper. I had to make him feel like shit. I had to make him feel the same way I did at that moment in time.

And then I would kill his ass.

AN: Please review, I want to know what everybody thinks so I can fix any mistakes I've made. Talicka


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Bella's POV

There was no way that I had imagined what I had just saw. I had the imagination capacity of a rock, so I knew that if I said I had imagined it all I would blow it off. I turned the coffee pot on for my mother and walked outside. I knew I'd be able to convince myself that everything I had just seen was real if I saw proof. I shivered at the thought of what had been standing where I was just a few minutes before. To my disappointment, I found what I was looking for.

A large paw print had been pressed into the mud. If I hadn't known better, I would've thought it was the size of my own hand; it was probably _bigger _than my hand. Well, there went the mentally insane theory I had come up with. I was perfectly sane, at least, I thought I was.

Just minutes before, a large wolf had been standing in the exact spot I was. I had just gotten up and eaten my bowl of Cheerios for the morning when suddenly I heard this loud growling noise. I looked up from the dining room table and couldn't help but stare. I mean, this animal was _**huge**_. If I hadn't seen the size of the deer it had just brought down, I would've thought I was imagining the size of it, but I did and I knew I wasn't. I looked up at where the things head would've been and shuddered.

_I hope that there aren't more of those in there. _I thought as I looked into the forest that came into the backyard of my house. I shivered and looked around. _There is no way I'm ever coming out here at night again. _I thought as I walked back inside.

The problem was, this wolf, seemed to be thinking the same thing I was when I saw it. It seemed to be thinking; "Oh shit where the fuck did that come from?" I guess it didn't realize how close to civilization it was.

I shook myself. _Oh great, you're mentally ill Bella, there is no way a _wolf _thinks like a human. Next thing you know they're going to start _talking _to you. _I thought and then laughed. A talking wolf, yea, sure like _that's _going to happen. But as I walked inside the house, I began to wonder about the wolf. What was it doing here? Wolves lived in Wyoming and the states near there; not in Indiana. Maybe I really was mentally ill. I bit my lip and mulled over the possibilities. I gave up after a few minutes and came to the conclusion that only an insane person wouldn't consider the possibility of them being insane. I hoped I was right.

Elizabeth's POV

"Dr. Cullen," I had found out that he was a doctor soon after I had asked him where we were. "You promised that after I told you about how Jasper killed me you'd tell me how you found my body. Will you please enlighten me? It's driving me mad."

He chuckled. "First let me introduce you to my family. I don't want Esme wondering what I've been sneaking off doing for the past week anymore. It's driving her mad…" He glanced at me, and I knew from what he was thinking, that he was looking at my eyes.

"Dr. Cullen, I've already told you what I am. Don't expect my eyes to turn blood red every time you turn around." I said chuckling. "My eyes change bright blue almost teal whenever I'm… being controlled by my vampire side…"

"You seem to have it harder than the rest of us." He murmured. "Elizabeth, I know this sounds kind of crazy, but I want you to meet my family for another reason as well."

I gave him a funny look. "Um… Carlisle… You don't have to do that."

He shook his head. "Will you please tell me why you keep saying confusing stuff like that?"

I chuckled. "It's because I can hear your thoughts. Sorry, I left that bit out last time we talked." I bit my lip in embarrassment. "I don't normally pay attention to them, but since I've only been around you for the past few days, I've only heard your thoughts. It's harder to not listen to them when I'm around one person compared to a group."

He nodded. "Elizabeth, I think it would be good for you to be with our family. I think Alice and Rosalie would love having another sister, and maybe Edward will finally find somebody he likes." He said softly. "Esme is beginning to worry about him because he still hasn't found anybody for him like everybody else has." He looked at me. "Or it could be another disaster like with Jasper." He frowned, his thoughts straying back to the attack.

"Dr. Cullen…"

"You can call me Carlisle, Elizabeth."

"Carlisle… It's not Jasper's fault. If I didn't tell you earlier, or if you have forgotten; Jasper had quite a bit of self control until he saw me after our third period together. My blood sings to your kind Mi….. Carlisle. I'm surprised that Edward, Emmett, and Alice were able to put up with it actually." My voice fell to a whisper. "It's my fault."

"Nobody blames you, Elizabeth."

"They should." I said, keeping my voice firm.

Carlisle sighed. "I'll let you believe what you want, but it's not your fault. Jasper has always been the weak link, and even though I'm not angry or upset with him… I just wish he could've been a little more restrained. It didn't help that Billy Black saw you before I could get to you." He sighed. "It was only a matter of time before the pack set out after us."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… Are you telling me that there is a pack of _wolves _in La Push?" I looked at him and then closed my eyes. "My father has been keeping secrets from me for a long time" I whispered. "He must have been a part of the pack when he was younger."

Carlisle chuckled. "The wolves didn't show up until recently. Well they only came back recently. They were around over forty years ago, but they disappeared for a time. We are still trying to figure out why they came back."

"So you were around before they disappeared."

"Yeah, we made the treaty the first time we met them."

"So what exactly is this treaty anyway? I've heard you think about Jasper breaking the 'treaty' and all that, but I just don't understand it."

"After you meet the family, I'll tell you everything okay?"

I thought about the possibilities and nodded. "Okay, but after you tell me everything I'm going straight for Willsboro."

He turned toward me and shook his head. "Not until I am positive you don't have any side effects from being bitten by Jasper."

I rolled my eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you I'm fine before you believe me?"

He opened the door and didn't answer. Next thing I knew, I was thrown into a small room with nine vampires. I gulped and put my mind to work. I didn't want another incident to occur, especially since I had just gotten over the last one.

Carlisle walked inside, dragging me behind him. "Guys," He said, addressing the room. "I want you to meet somebody that might be living with us for awhile."

I snorted and shook my head. "Says you."

Carlisle shot me a warning glance. "This is Elizabeth Frost."

I heard a collective gasp from everybody in the room. I sighed and glared at Carlisle. The last thing I had wanted was to be in a room full of vampires. Carlisle shook his head and gently pushed me in front of him. I gulped and shot him a 'you have to be kidding me' look. I then turned my attention back to the group of vampires in front of me. I gasped when I recognized one of the vampires in the room.

"Tanya?" I stammered softly.

The woman that I was staring at nodded her head slightly. I closed my eyes. It had been over eight years ago when I had moved into Alaska with my father. Soon after moving, I realized I could change into a werewolf. I had guessed that it was going to happen sooner or later, but after speaking with Carlisle, something clicked. I was a werewolf because I had been around vampires. The genetics kicked into gear only when vampires where around.

"I should've guessed you were helping her out." Esme said softly and took Carlisle's hand. "Is she…?"

"No I'm not." I said before she could even finish her sentence. I was beginning to get sick and tired of everybody thinking I was a fully fledged vampire. "I've gone through that once before and thank god I didn't have to do it again. Now will everybody stop saying that I'm a vampire? Please." I turned to Carlisle. "Okay, I've met your vampire family. Now can I please get going home? My family needs me."

Carlisle shook his head. "You've seen my family, you haven't met them, but if you're so ready to get going home, we will leave for there in two days. That way, I can get to know your little mutation and you can learn some patience."

I sighed and sat down with exaggerated impatience. "I can bet that I'm not the only one who's impatient."

Carlisle shook his head. "Emmett, why don't you show Elizabeth where she is sleeping for the next few days?"

"Sure thing Carlisle." He said and smiled. He turned to me and took my hand. "Don't worry about him, he's not nearly as bad of a guy as your making him out to be." He whispered in my ear as we walked out of the room. "Just don't get your underwear in a wad."

I rolled my eyes. "Easy for you to say; you don't have any important business to deal with. I've got a family at home that needs me A.S.A.P. and I want that to be as soon as I can get out of here. Not as soon as Carlisle gives me the clear to leave." I scuffed my foot against the floor.

Emmett shook his head and gave me a broad grin. "Well, there is one good thing that came out of it isn't there?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "If there is I don't know it."

"I've got something else to do besides sit around and do nothing." He whispered while eyeing me with some interest.

I growled. "Not in a million years."

He chuckled. "We'll see Elizabeth. We'll see."

I was pacing the floor of the small room Carlisle had dubbed mine. There was a full sized bed, in which, I hadn't dared to go near since Emmett had brought me up. I sighed and sat down. I had tried to escape more than once, and it seemed that Carlisle was expecting every move I made.

There was a knock on my bedroom door. I growled.

"Go away!" I yelled unhappily.

Emmett popped his head inside anyway. "Nah, I was actually going to ask you if you wanted to go out hunting with me and Rose. It seems like you're in need of some time outside." He smiled and gave me a wink. "But just don't try to run away from us."

I sighed. "Emmett, I need to get home, _now. _Do you really expect me to go without trying to run?"

Emmet shrugged and walked over to me, closing the door behind him. "Elizabeth, you need to go and get something to eat. We don't want you starving yourself."

I sighed and got up. "Oh, so everybody cares if I'm starved or not, but Carlisle doesn't care about my family."

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Come on, you know you'll enjoy some fresh air."

"Okay, I'll go, but I can't promise you anything…"

He smiled. "Good, you're going to love the choice in food we have here. There's grizzly, polar bear, mountain lion, and there are even foxes for those of us who like small game."

I walked over to the door and chuckled. "Emmett, just do me one favor."

He smiled. "Oh and what's that?"

I pulled him close, knowing he'd think I wanted something totally different. I gently wrapped my arms around his muscled frame and pulled his head close to my lips. "Don't go attacking any white wolves anytime soon." I whispered into his ear and took off.

"Hey!" He yelled and took off after me.

I smirked. There was no way he was going to catch up to me. I was the fastest wolf in my pack, an advantage that I was very proud of. Oh, of course I wouldn't run off, Carlisle had too many secrets he was keeping from me, but I'd make Emmett doubt his idea of ever trusting me in the first place.

"Hey! Wait up!" Emmett called.

I felt the fire burning through me, and in midstride, I phased. It was only then that I realized that I didn't have any of my usual garments that my pack and I used while changing. Crap, Emmett was going to love seeing all my clothes strewn all over the floor. I could hear it now. I'd trot into my room while Emmett would ask why I wasn't changing back into my human form. I should have thought about it before I acted.

I slowed down once I was outside. It felt good to be outside of the stuffy house, but I continued to think about what I had just done. Emmett caught up to me and looked down.

"So you aren't a vampire after all." He said chuckling.

I growled and looked up at him. "You don't know half of it." I said in the gruff voice my wolf form had.

"Oh really?" He went to attack my side, I rolled away and growled.

"Yes, really Emmett." I sneezed.

He looked down at me and chuckled. "So what are you going to do about your clothes problem?"

"I have no clue." I shook my head and growled. "Just stay out of my room tonight."

He smirked. "I doubt that'll work."

I pounced on him. "If you continue this, I'll definitely run away from here." I got off of him.

We were out in the woods by this point and Emmett looked like he was itching to go faster than what we already were. I laughed and shot forward. "Come on! Let's go find you a grizzly or two."

He chuckled. "That sounds great."  
_

I was ready for bed when we got back from the hunting trip, but Carlisle intercepted me at the door.

"Ah, Elizabeth, I believe I have something to tell you about." He said and then looked down at me. "but maybe you should go ask Rosalie or Esme for some clothes."

I nodded and went to go over to the room Carlisle had pointed out to me. I couldn't believe it when Emmett tossed me a few clothes at me.

"Rose won't be happy to see anything gone, but I think you'll fit into her clothes better than Esme's."

I nodded and trotted into my room, happy to have something to change into.

I walked out of my room and over to Carlisle. "So, are you ready to tell me why you keep telling me that I cannot go anywhere?"

"Actually, I was going to tell you that you can go to Indiana, but I'm going with you. I got the tickets while you were on your hunt with Emmett. We leave tomorrow."

"Oh, thank you Carlisle. Now, can I know how you had saved me from being buried alive?"

Carlisle nodded. "I will."

"I was on my way home from work when I got the call from Edward saying that Jasper had attacked you. Now at the time, he didn't know who you were, what you were doing here, or anything. So, I decided to go to the scene of the crime and get some idea of what had actually happened.

"So when I pulled into the parking lot of Forks High, I was more than surprised to see that you were still breathing. At first, I wondered if maybe I was seeing things. That is, until you spoke." He chuckled. "You said, 'I hate Indiana.', so I told Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett that I was bringing you with us. I told them that I thought Jasper hadn't completely killed you when he… you know. So, when you didn't wake three days later, I got a little worried."

"How long was I out?"

"You were out for a week. I was beginning to think you were dead, but just when I was about to give up hope, you woke up." He smiled. "I was shocked to say the least."

"Because I looked like anything but a vampire." I whispered. "Thank you for saving me Mr. Cullen."

He nodded. "No problem Elizabeth. We will be leaving early tomorrow."

I nodded.

AN: Here is another chapter. I promise Edward will be in the next chapter. Please review. Talicka


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7- Bella's POV

I was in the Wild Reef exhibit at Shedd Aquarium. Standing below the large tank that held the sharks and other fish, I was taken aback. After all the years I had been coming to Shedd, this was the first time I had seen the Wild Reef. The sounds of the wave pool crashing against the rocks were behind me, but I felt like I was by the ocean. The sharks darted back and forth.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" A soft velvet voice whispered behind me.

I jumped and whirled around to face the guy who was talking to me, and about fell back because of how amazingly beautiful he looked. "I… um… y-yeah… it is, isn't it?" I stammered and turned away. There was something about this guy's voice that sounded familiar.

He chuckled and turned to walk the other way, but I guess he decided it was a better idea to stay and watch me make an even bigger fool of myself. "Do you come here often?"

I nodded, worried that if I looked into his liquid topaz eyes, I'd lose myself and not be able to talk.

He stood there beside me for a little while, watching the fish. I would often sneak a few glances at his purposely messed up bronze colored hair and perfectly chiseled face. I was content with the silence, but for some reason, I felt like he wished to say more. The tension between us continued to build until finally he worked up the nerve to say something else.

"My name is Edward." He smiled and held out his hand.

"Isabella, but you can call me Bella." I said as we shook hands.

He nodded. "I've seen you around the museum before." He said softly. "You seem to really love it here."

I shook my head. Why was this guy torturing me? "Yeah, it's almost like this place calls to me, actually."

Edward chuckled and then turned away. "I hear my family calling me… It was nice talking to you, Bella." He smiled a crooked smile that made my heart melt.

"N-nice t-talking t-to you too." I stammered and then turned to walk away. I looked back to see if he was still there, but he had disappeared. I sighed.

"Watch out!" A girl with reddish-gold hair said as she fell down to the ground in front of me. "Oww…" She groaned and closed her eyes. "God damn these crowds." She murmured.

I helped her up and helped her pick up the contents that had spilled out of her purse. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Sorry about that." She said as she started to brush her clothes off. "Somebody thought it would be funny to trip me." She sighed and smiled at me. "Thanks for helping me up though."

"No problem." I chuckled. "I'm Bella by the way."

"Elizabeth Frost." She said chuckling. "Like I said I'm sorry about that…"

"Like I said, it's no problem. I'm quite a bit of a klutz myself, so I know where you're coming from."

She nodded. "So is this your first time here at Shedd?"

I shook my head. "No, I've been here plenty of times, but this is my first time in this part of the aquarium."  
Elizabeth smiled. "I love this part of the aquarium. Well, I like the other reef exhibit upstairs just about as much as this area."

I nodded and looked at my watch. "I should actually be heading home."

"What time is it? My cell phone just died and I need to get home before 9." Elizabeth muttered. "Stupid Dr. Cullen won't let me go hardly anywhere without a time limit anymore."

"It's five p.m."

"Crap. I gotta get going as well."

I smiled as the two of us continued to talk on our way out of the aquarium. I wasn't much for talking, but Elizabeth seemed to be at ease with everything around her so I didn't feel pressured to talk like I normally did when I was around people. We walked outside to the sound of thunder and the flash of lighting. It was pouring cats and dogs.

Elizabeth looked at the small umbrella case that was sticking out of her purse and then looked back up at the sky. "I don't think using my umbrella would be a good idea…" She seemed slightly distracted.

"I don't want anything that could attract lighting near me thank you very much. I don't want to take my chances. Knowing my luck I'd get struck my lighting. I can see the headlines now. **Teenage Girl Killed in Freak Lighting Incident." **

Elizabeth laughed. "No I think it would be more like teenage girls. If you're hit by lighting that means that I probably would too."

"Good point." We ran out into the rain.

She started laughing when I got into my old truck. I looked at her.

"Hey, don't diss the truck. I bet it could be your car's grandparent."

Elizabeth giggled. "I'm not laughing about your truck." She said as she hit the unlock button on her keychain. "I just happened to be parked right next to you." She opened the door to a navy blue Escalade. "And your truck probably is my car's grandparent."

We both laughed at that and got into our vehicles. I started my truck up and it roared to life. _If I ever buy a car of my own, I'm going to make sure it is nice and _quiet. Don't get me wrong, I loved my truck, but it was getting old and I was beginning to worry that it was going to croak soon.

Edward's POV

I nodded. "I've seen you around the museum before." I was trying to keep from losing control of myself. I guess I owed Jasper and apology. He had managed to not attack the Frost chick for three whole classes. I didn't think I could have made it past a few minutes with the girl beside me. "You seem to really love it here."

She shook her head. "Yeah, it's almost like this place calls to me, actually."

I chuckled and then turned away from her. I had to find a way to leave her side before I did some serious damage to her. "I hear my family calling me… It was nice talking to you, Bella." I smiled my trademark crooked smile, well at least that's what Alice called it, and turned away. I wasn't going to keep torturing myself by being around her.

I walked out of the aquarium minutes later and looked at Jasper and Alice, who seemed to be enjoying themselves in the back of my Volvo. I growled and opened the door. "Will you two get a room before you start fucking each other's brains out?" I snarled and slammed the door behind me. That's when I saw her pulling out of the parking lot in a red Chevy truck that looked like it belonged in the 60's.

_Great he's in one of his moods. _I heard Alice think. I turned and glared at her. She slunk back and didn't think or say anything else. I heard her start humming her favorite song. I pinched my nose.

Yeah, I was in a mood. I hadn't attacked a human in over 80 years, a feat that I was very proud of, but a few minutes with Bella had changed everything. Her blood sang out to me in ways no human blood had ever done before, and I was worried about my record. I looked back at Alice and Jasper, who were both making out in the back seat again. I rolled my eyes. This was going to be a long ride.

I set out to go back to the hotel that Jasper, Alice, and I were staying at, but about halfway there, I turned onto a different street that went onto the highway. That's when I saw her truck again. It was poking along, barely managing to go the speed limit. I listened, tuning out Alice and Jasper's whispers and thoughts. I could hear the people in the car next to me. They seemed to be a married couple, arguing about something. I sighed and drove over to get closer to Bella's truck. I had to make sure that I wasn't going insane. I wanted to know if I had just imagined the silence. I hadn't heard any of her thoughts, or at least, I thought I hadn't.

I was less than a few feet away from her truck. There was nothing that sounded like her thoughts. I was shocked.

"Alice?" Jasper whispered softly. "What do you see Ali?"

I stopped trying to listen for Bella's thoughts and turned my attention to Alice.

Alice shook her head and curled up to Jasper. He held her close. "What did you see?" The blond vampire whispered lovingly into her ear.

I was beginning to get sick of the lovey dovey stuff that they were pulling all the time.

"Edward." She murmured softly. "Why are we going away from here? I thought it was safer to stay in a large city?"

I sighed and shook my head. "I didn't realize I was taking us away from Chicago. Do you want to turn back?"

Alice shook her head no and returned to her hushed whispers with Jasper. He held her close and then looked back at the Chicago cityscape. He obviously didn't feel safe leaving the big city, but he knew that for whatever reason, we were leaving. I just felt like I had to follow the girl I had just met. It was wrong, and I knew that it would probably be the end of us, but I wanted to know more about her. I just hoped she didn't feel the same about me. If she didn't already care about me, maybe I had a chance to keep her away. Maybe.

"I love you Alice." Jasper whispered as he planted a soft kiss on her nose.

Ugh, I was going to puke.

Jasper growled. "Edward, if you continue being a sourpuss I'm going to make you get out of the car and walk. You're ruining my time with Alice. If you don't like it, tune us out. You've done it enough times before."

I rolled my eyes. "You don't realize how hard it is to ignore you two." I murmured and turned on the music. I smiled when I recognize the tune. I wasn't one for singing much, but it kept my mind off of the love fest that was going on in the back seat.

_Note to self; make sure I have a room to myself at the next hotel. _

It was a long drive. I was going the speed limit for once because I wanted to follow Bella. I couldn't believe the pull she had on me. I just hoped that I didn't have the same pull to her. I didn't want to ask Alice if this was the girl. I knew that she had left out some information in her vision. She saw me meeting Bella two weeks ago, and I've been worried about it ever since. So when I finally saw her, I was shocked. Not only because she made me feel like I could give something more than just brotherly love. I guess Alice was right. I was just a sourpuss, but I had a good reason.

I just hoped Bella didn't feel the same way I did about her. I could never take her life away. I just couldn't. Her soul wasn't worth my need for somebody to love.

Bella's POV

I was singing along with my favorite song when I pulled up into the driveway of my home. I turned the car off and pulled out the three small bags of groceries that I had stopped to get at the supermarket in Willsboro. We lived just two miles east of the town. We had neighbors across the street though. I turned to look over across the street and the small white house with a black roof. The large oak tree that stood in front of it had a navy blue Escalade under it. I knew that Elizabeth had said she had to be home before nine, but I never would have thought she was living across the street from me.

For all I knew though, it could just be the same car and Elizabeth lived somewhere else. I would have to find out after I put the groceries away.

"Mom I'm home!" I called out as I placed the three bags on the marble countertop. When she didn't answer I began to look for her. "Mom?"

She wasn't in the house. So, I guessed that she had gone out on her latest harebrained scheme. I put the groceries up and then put the paper bags in the recycling box. I looked at the clock. It was 9:37 p.m.

Hopefully Elizabeth was the girl that lived across the street, or else I would be humiliated in front of somebody I didn't even know. I took in a deep breath and walked outside. The pumpkin plants that grew in the front garden around the house where getting really big. I hadn't noticed that Mom had planted pumpkins. I guess I hadn't been paying much attention to my mother recently. I would have to make sure to make it all up to her this weekend.

I crossed the street and looked at the Escalade. I remembered that there had been small silver dragons on the side of Elizabeth's car, so that's what I looked for before I even walked up to the door of her place. I pushed my long curly brown hair out of my face as the wind picked up and smiled. Right on the left passenger door, where I remembered it, was a small sliver dragon.

I walked over to the door and rang the doorbell. The guy that opened the door made my jaw drop. This must have been the Dr. Cullen that Elizabeth was talking about. His topaz eyes seemed to shine as he smiled at me. I shivered. His eyes reminded me of Edward.

"Hello, are you one of Elizabeth's friends?" He asked warmly.

"Yes, I'm Bella Swan." I smiled.

He opened the door wider and gestured for me to come inside. "Let me go find her." He said laughing. "Her father was right; she is a hard person to keep track of."

I sat down on the white leather couch and looked around the room. Pictures of Elizabeth and wolves seemed to be everywhere.

Elizabeth ran downstairs in a matter of minutes. She was in snoopy pajama pants and a red Mickey Mouse blouse. She smiled. "Hey Bella… What are you doing here?"

I smiled. "I live across the street actually."

"No way!" She exclaimed happily. "That's so cool!"

I chuckled. She reminded me of a close friend of mine that lived in Phoenix. She was a ball of energy that just couldn't sit still. I think Francine would've gotten along with her just fine.

I nodded. "I just came over to see if that car was really yours. If it wasn't for those dragons I would have never guessed that was your car."

She smiled. "I had to be different somehow… so I asked my dad that if I could pay for the design, would he take me to the custom shop. He was so reluctant, but I told him I'd even pay for a wolf to be designed right above his license plate. He was all for it after that."

I nodded and smiled. "Where is your father anyway?"

Her face fell the minute I mentioned it. I felt regret almost immediately. "He's overseas working in Kuwait. Dr. Cullen is staying with me until he gets back."

"Oh really?" I asked. I wasn't too sure if she was telling a lie or not. She seemed to be reluctant to talk about her father. "How does Dr. Cullen know your father?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I was living in Forks with my Aunt Carol and Uncle Mark. One day, Dr. Cullen told me that my father wanted me to come home before he returned from his assignment and that I'd be staying with him at my home until he came back."

"My father lives in Forks." I whispered softly. "I haven't seen him in years."

"Oh really? What's his name?"

"Charlie."

Elizabeth sat there for a few minutes. I was beginning to wonder if she was hiding something from me when she took in a deep breath. "You mean to say that Police Chief Swan is your father?"

I nodded my head slowly.

"Do you know much about your father when he was younger?"

I shook my head. "Not really."

Elizabeth slowly exhaled and pulled a small piece of paper from her pocket. She unfolded it, and I realized it was a picture. "This is the reason why I went to Forks to stay with my aunt and uncle there. Normally, when my dad is shipped out, I stay here with my Aunt Bonnie, but I asked to stay with my other aunt because I wanted answers about my father's past." She handed me the photo. "My father is the guy with the mullet."

I ran my fingers over the pictures and looked closely at my mother and father. Charlie had is arm wrapped around Renée's waist. I looked at the date on the back of the photo. "What does it say?"

"The note that's scribbled on the back?" Elizabeth asked as she hovered over my shoulder. "Let me take a look."

Elizabeth bent down close to the picture and tried to decipher the message that was scribbled on the back.

**Hank, I hope you have a wonderful time with your baby daughter. I found this in one of my photo albums and thought you'd like to have it. We all miss you, Brother and send all our love to you and you r little girl. Charlie says hi, he's been pretty upset recently. **

**Billy Black**

Elizabeth looked at one word more than any other in silence. "Brother?" She whispered in confusion. "What in the world does that mean?"

"Maybe Billy's parents adopted your father?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "I've met my grandparents before. They are… a little eccentric at times though. Maybe he hung out with Billy and his friends more than his parents. I really don't know." She sighed. "I've never read that note before. Wait, what's the date on the photo?"

"June, eleventh 1991." I said as a squinted at the small print. "That was over a year before I was born."

"Same here."

Edward's POV

I was standing in the rain, waiting for something to happen like the idiot I was. I had dropped Alice and Jasper off at the hotel in Willsboro, and after I made sure I was in a different room then they were, I set off at a brisk walk towards the east side of town. I didn't know where exactly I was going, but something was just telling me to go east. So I walked out into the storm, like any good natured maniac would. I chuckled to myself. Maybe I was going insane.

Heck, this was the first time in years I had been on the run from something, and it felt exhilarating. It had been over two months since we had run away from Forks though. So I had a good feeling that we wouldn't be running into that pack of brainless mutts.

Before long, I was standing in front of a small brick house with a few large trees out front and a full wood in the back. I looked around and realized I was a good two miles out of town, and then I saw the hunk of metal that was Bella's truck. I looked around and open my cell phone. It was 10:22 p.m. Maybe I had some time to drop by and say hello.

_No Edward don't be a numskull. She'd probably think you were being a creeper or something if you just showed up at her house after only meeting her once. Maybe I can take just one peek to see what she's up to… one look won't hurt… I hope._

I walked over to the house and looked inside. All of the lights were off, so I decided to take a look in some of the other windows. The last window I reached was at the back of the house. I wondered idly if this was Bella's room. Well, there was only one way to find out. I looked inside and smiled. Bella was asleep on her bed. I opened the window quietly and snuck inside. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. At least, I hoped I wouldn't hurt her. I sat down in a corner of the room on her office chair and watched her sleep. It was interesting to me, being somebody who would never be able to sleep again, it amazed me.

Bella tossed in her sleep and pulled a pillow close to her body. I began to wish I was the pillow she was holding, but I let the thought slide away.

"What do you want?" Bella murmured.

I froze and looked at her. Relief washed over me when I realized she was talking in her sleep. She seemed to be having a rough dream. I wondered if it had anything to do with our encounter. People tended to give me a wide birth. Carlisle thought it was because humans had a natural fear of us, but I wasn't too sure.

"Please, don't go…"

I turned my attention back to Bella. _What are you dreaming about? _I ached to know. It was weird for me not to know what was going on inside her head. I could hear everybody else's thoughts just fine. What was it that made her so different?

"Edward" She groaned. "Why do you keep doing this to me?"

I froze once again. She had just said my name. Why did she say my name?

AN: Please please please tell me what you think. I'm a little worried I went OOC with Edward and I want to know what my readers think. Please review. Talicka


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Jacob's POV 

Nathan took me and the guys aside and looked at us. "Look, I know that you guys have been sleeping outside for the past few weeks. Why don't you bunk at my place? My dad knows what's going on with us being what we are and all. I'm pretty sure that if you told him your case he wouldn't mind if you stayed with us for a few days." He sighed softly. "I guess that since Lizzie's gone, I'm alpha… either that or Haley is." He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "This is going to be tough for us for awhile, but I promise," His dark brown eyes hardened. "I will hunt the bastard that killed her with you. He deserves to be hurt."

Finally, somebody that was as willing to have a good snarling, rip up the trees, fight. I was beginning to like this Nate guy, but knowing that his pack had stalked us for the past few weeks bothered me, but I guess Sam would have had us do the same thing if an unknown pack of wolves came onto our grounds.

"Cool, we were actually planning on scouting the area north of here tomorrow. Would you care to join us?" I asked. "It would be nice to have another wolf or two run with us."

Nate nodded. "I'll ask Haley and Toa if they want to come along with you. Six is better than three when it comes to fighting anyway." He walked over to the dying bonfire and poured a bucket of water over it. He then walked over to the girl that I knew was Haley and a younger guy with messy sandy brown hair. The three of them stood together in a loose circle and talked. Finally, they walked back over.

"I'm in if you want me to join you in the hunt." Haley said, her voice was strained and her eyes were puffy. I guess she was still crying over her friend. I know I had been really upset to realize I had met the girl. She had a pull to her that I couldn't explain. Maybe it was because she had been the alpha of her pack, which was strange to say the least.

"I'm in as well." The kid with the messy hair said. "My name is Toa and Liz was like a sister to me. I'll follow her killer to the other side of the Earth if I have to."

I nodded. "Thanks Toa, Haley." I said in earnest. "Nate, I think I'd like to take you up on your offer of staying at your place for the night. I'm sick of sleeping on the forest floor all the god damn time."

Nate nodded. "We should get to going then. Goodnight Hales." He said and hugged her goodbye. "Make sure the barn is good and locked up tight. I don't want Howard and his friends sneaking into here again."

Haley nodded. "I haven't seen him in awhile actually. Maybe he and the others left for some other place."

I looked at the two of them in confusion. "Who is Howard?"

Nate shook his head sadly. "He had been my best friend until the incident with Gerard Harrison. Howard is a rogue vampire who has been trying to find a way to keep himself from attacking humans, but he still gives largely human populated areas a wide birth. He has a few followers that were attacked by the same guy he was, but we keep a close eye on them to make sure they don't get out of line. Elizabeth was the best negotiator we had, so naturally, when she moved to Forks while her father went overseas, Howard disappeared. We keep an eye out for him though, just to make sure he hasn't done any damage do anybody."

I shook my head in disbelief. First Elizabeth being the Alpha of a pack of werewolves, then it was to learn that she wasn't the only girl, and now she had been negotiating with vampires. I was beginning to look up to the girl, even though she was dead.

"Alright, let's get going." Nate said, interrupting my train of thought.

We headed for Nathan's house in silence. I guess we all had a lot on our minds from what we had learned from each other.

Edward's POV

I left Bella's room just as the sun began to rise. I didn't know what time she got up in the mornings, and I wasn't I the mood to deal with her if she woke up to find me staring at her as she slept. I walked outside, and was relieved to see that it was going to be another very stormy day. I didn't want to camp out in the woods until it was dark enough to go out on my own. I walked out to the end of the driveway and looked out across the street. The house might've been small, but it looked nice. A large white dog was asleep on the front porch, and as I continued my way towards the end of the driveway, it stirred.

It stretched out its massive white paws and yawned like a cat would after a long nap. Suddenly, its head snapped in my direction and its hackles rose up in fear, or at least, I thought it was fear.

_Think again, Edward._

I jumped and looked around. There was nobody except for the dog across the street. I gulped and looked around again. Was the dog actually a wolf?

_Bingo. Come over here, you're 'father' is here as well._

I felt myself grimace for a quick second. The wolf must have been one of the La Push Pack wolves because I hadn't seen any sign of a permanent residence of wolves. I had to think about whether or not I could trust the wolf, but there was something that was bothering me more than the idea of one of the La Push mutts. How was this wolf hearing my thoughts?

The large animal stood up and trotted over to me. I stood still, hoping that nothing bad would happen.

Carlisle stepped out of the front door of the house and saw me at once. "Elizabeth! Heal!"

_Oh god, now he thinks I'm going to fucking kill you. Can you tell him to calm the fuck down before he gives himself brain damage… oh wait, bad wording, vampires can't get hurt if they have an emotional overload, or a physical one for that matter… _

I looked up at the large wolf and gently patted her between her eyes. She wasn't one of the La Push Pack mutts after all, but who was she, and how did she know my father? "Carlisle calm down. She wants you to calm down before you do anything stupid." Hey, Carlisle didn't need to hear her cussing and random thoughts added into the mess. It would've only confused him more.

The wolf rolled her eyes and trotted back towards Carlisle. "I'll be inside waiting for you." She growled out and walked inside.

Carlisle shook his head and walked over to me. "Edward, what are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing actually." I replied.

"Well I'm here watching that fur ball. She's a great girl, but she can be a little feisty at times."

I chuckled. "She doesn't seem that bad, who is she?"

"Don't worry, she's not a part of the La Push Pack if that's what you're wondering. So, will you tell me why you're here? Are Jasper and Alice okay?"

"They're fine; actually they're in the hotel in town. We're here because something was pulling me here. I don't know what, but I think it has to do with the girl that lives across the street."

"Isabella?"

I nodded. "How do you know her?" I was surprised that Carlisle knew her.

"She came over yesterday. Apparently she made a new friend after meeting her at Shedd."

I looked at Carlisle and started chuckling. "That's where I met her actually. We've been staying in Chicago for a few weeks, but, something just… pulled me here. It's weird."

"Maybe fate is pulling everything together. Let's get inside, I bet you wouldn't mind meeting the mystery wolf"

I nodded and walked inside with Carlisle.

AN: So here is Chapter 8, it's a little on the short side compared to the last one. Please review, you're opinions are important to me. Talicka.

_Replies: _

_.95: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you enjoy it. I'll try to update as often as possible _


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Jasper's POV

I left the hotel early that morning. Alice was a little worried about my going, but I told her I was only going out to hunt. She let me go without another question, but I could feel the worry and uncertainty of letting me go off all alone. I soothed her just before I left, but I knew she'd be watching my every move.

Something was wrong here. I couldn't tell what, but something was off. The wind was picking up as I walked out of town. A large storm loomed overhead; the ominous clouds seemed to look like fangs as they trailed along at the storm front. It looked like tornado weather, but I didn't have to worry about those. Being a vampire did have its perks.

A low howl sounded from far off, if I hadn't known better, I would have blown it off as a trick of the wind, but I did know better. There were wolves here. I looked back towards the small town I had left behind me and then turned towards the woods. They weren't after Alice, and I didn't plan on jeopardizing her life.

I took off without a sound into the large woods that stood before me.

Elizabeth's POV

I heard the howl before either Edward or Carlisle could. Maybe I had a sixth sense thing when it came to my pack, but I could always hear them before anybody else. From the low bass tone of the howl, I could tell it was George, and he was calling out in warning. It had to be Howard that he was warning everybody about. I looked at the two vampires who were talking together in hushed voices on the front porch. I growled. I had to get to Howard before George did something stupid. He was always one to act before he thought things through.

I shot up the stairs of my house and ran towards my room. It was the fastest way out without running into Carlisle and Edward. The fire of changing back into my wolf form shot through me as I raced for the window. I was almost too big by the time I reached it, but in one leap I was on the ground. My paws were thundering across the wet ground. It squished and squelched as I raced on. Speed was my thing. Nobody in the pack was as fast as I.

I was the single most wretched thing that could ever walk on this earth. I could outrun a vampire easily, my teeth could tear through their flesh like a hot knife through butter, and my claws were almost like diamonds they were so hard. I was a beast that could even kill a vampire with one venomous bite. I was a monster, and I hated it.

So, why did I continue to lead my pack? That was an easy answer. Nate was too high strung and wouldn't think things through enough to be a good leader. He was always ready to attack and never ready to talk. He was horrible at talking with vampires, even though his own best friend was now one of the night-walkers. Nobody was ready for the weight of an entire pack besides me, and even I made mistakes. I had been a wolf longer than anybody else in my pack, even though we were all pretty much the same age. Toa was the youngest wolf in our pack; he had just celebrated his fourteenth birthday before I had left for Forks. The only difference between me and the rest of the pack was that I had started the change at the youngest age. I had only been ten-years-old when I first changed into the grey wolf that had given me the nickname Twilight.

The mud was beginning to splash all over my snow white coat, but I didn't care. I had to reach George before he did something stupid. I jumped up over a downed tree and howled out. It felt good to be in my own territory again.

_Elizabeth… why did it have to be Elizabeth?_

_Why did they have to come back _after _she died?_

_Back off Howard, we aren't going to be as kind to your kind anymore._

_George that's not what Liz would have wanted._

I whimpered as the whispers of my packs thoughts reached my mind. I shut myself off from the connection to keep my identity safe. I didn't want to scare my pack and make them think I was a ghost coming to haunt them, but what did George mean? Was he seriously thinking about going after Howard, Frank, and Chad? The three vampire boys hadn't done anything wrong. I growled. I'd have to find them before it was too late.

_**RESTRAIN YOUR ATTACK GEORGE! **_

Nate's thoughts hit me like a tidal wave. I knew he was trying to replicate my commands to my pack, but he wouldn't be able to do it. He had not won against me in a challenge, so I was still the alpha, but he thought I was dead. I stopped midstride and slid to a stop. My fur was full of leaves, mud, and twigs.

_I should head back. It's not my time to show up back from the grave. It's too soon. _I let out a whimper and went to turn back, but something caught my attention. I sniffed the air again just to make sure.

_Howard? _I let my mind reach out to him, hoping that he could hear what I was thinking from this distance. _Howard? It's me, Elizabeth… Turn back._

_Elizabeth? What are you doing here? I thought you were in Forks?_

I looked at where the pack was at and then turned to the west. Howard was still some ways from them, and if I let myself run my fastest, I knew I'd be able to reach him before my pack did.

_No time to explain Howard. You need to get away from here. You need to run! _I thought with all my might as I raced off to help him.

Bella's POV

I woke up that morning with a massive headache. The dreams I had had the night before had been almost on the verge of nightmarish.

A bloody corpse with a vampire with blond hair and a brooding look standing over it, drinking its blood.

A pure white wolf that had eyes like Elizabeth's that was running out into the darkness, almost as if her life depended on it.

An angry pack of wolves rushing out of the woods, getting ready to attack an unseen enemy, ready to rip the flesh off of anything that came near them.

A young girl with spiky black hair that had a faraway look in her eyes watching out a hotel window, wondering where he lover was.

A girl that looked a lot like me, standing next to a porcelain white person with tawny eyes and bronze hair, smiling up at him and moving with him as he moved, like magnets.

I had no clue what any of it meant, I just knew that it all scared the fuck out of me.

A bright flash of lightening lit up my room for a second. The thunder that followed was so loud, it shook the house. I flinched. Something was terribly wrong, and it all bothered me more than it should have. It seemed to have a meaning to it, but what, I did not know.

A low howl rose up from the woods. It sounded angry and hungry for battle. I shivered and got up out of bed. As I walked into the kitchen, my mother was standing over the stove, trying to cook what looked like eggs over easy. I didn't know if I was right though.

"Hey Bella, sorry I was late getting home last night, I went down to Indianapolis to see if I could find anything good at the Mac store for recording music, but the mall that it was in is so big. I had couldn't help but stay until it closed, and then I went out and got something to eat. I hope you like the shrimp from T.G.I. Friday's. If anything it would be a good snack."

I nodded. "Thanks Mom. Um… I'm going to go across the street and talk to my friend, Elizabeth. Did you know we had neighbors?"

Renée turned around and gave me a funny look. "We have neighbors?"

"Yeah, Elizabeth was living in Forks while her dad went overseas for the airbase that's close to here. I think she's staying with… oh I can't remember if he was her uncle or a friend of her father's." I shrugged. "But anyway, I met her at Shedd yesterday and she seems to be a cool person. Good luck with your eggs."

"See you later sweety."

I walked back into my bedroom and shifted through my dresser. I found a pair of jeans, a nice blue blouse, and a black jacket to wear. I changed quickly and walked across the street. I was hoping to get to know a little bit more about Elizabeth and Dr. Cullen. I walked up the pathway to their house and rung the doorbell.

My heart stopped as the guy with bronze hair from my dream, Edward, opened the door.

AN: Here is chapter 9. Thanks for reading, I hope you have enjoyed everything so far. Please review! Talicka

_Replies:_

_Sujari6: I'm glad you liked it and that was the main point. I thought that In the Hands of Fate seemed to be a good way to sum of up the story because it is a main theme. _


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Elizabeth's POV

I was running through the lush woods, frantic to reach Howard before my pack did. Was I too late? Was the pack chasing after him? I couldn't bear the thought of him getting torn to pieces by my own pack. In my mind's eye I could see him getting ripped from limb to limb. The smell of vampire blood heavy in the air as George attacked his neck. I shivered and sped up. Speed, all I needed was speed.

I was so lost in my own thoughts and the sound of my paws thudding against the soft wet marshy ground, that when I finally reached Howard, I barreled into him. He had been standing at the edge of a large hill, and when I ran into him, we both went tumbling down it. We slid down a hill until finally; I was underneath him on the green forest floor.

Howard's dark skin seemed to have its own pale glimmer to it as the rain started pouring down even harder than it had before. I shook my head and growled as the pressure changed. I gently pushed Howard up and smiled, my tongue lolled as my fangs gleamed in the disappearing morning sun. I looked at Howard and used my tail to brush some of the twigs and stuff off of his black tank-top.

"Will you stop that?" He growled and gently pushed me away. I knew he wasn't actually telling me to leave him alone, but still, the anger in his words pained me.

"Howard." I let myself change back into my human form. The clothes I had been wearing that morning had been made of something the farmers had discovered changed with us wolves when we transformed. The fabric was a little too skin-tight for my liking, but I dealt with it. "What's wrong?"

He harrumphed and started walking away from me. His red eyes were beginning to fade to a rich tawny color. I was hoping that was because of his diet experimentation. "You're pack is what's wrong. What have you told them?"

I jumped. "Howie, they think I'm dead. I haven't done anything..." I sighed. "I've got to go and talk to Nate in his dreams tonight. He needs to realize he is not the leader of my pack." I growled and looked up at Howard. It felt so weird to be taller than him in my wolf form, yet so much shorter than him in my normal form.

"Why do they think you're dead?"

I looked away and let out a deep breath. "There was an incident… in Forks… involving a vampire." I could tell he was struggling with the want to attack me, but Howard had the best control over his urges to drink human blood out of all of the vampires I had known. Well, he wasn't as good as Carlisle, but out of the small group that lived around these parts of our pack's territory, he was the best. "Jasper Cullen attacked me and I went into hibernate mode. Remember when you first bit me?"

He nodded and sighed. "So you were out for a few days and your family thinks you're dead, just like last time, except I had managed to tell the pack you were out on another vampire hunt and that they needed to cover for you."

I nodded and sighed. "Howard, do me a favor and get the hell out of here. I don't want my pack attacking you just because they think 'your kind' killed me. "Get the others and leave. Come back in a few months when I've managed to do some damage control. Okay?" _And please don't just go outside of our territory, they'll kill you if even if you're a mile or two out of our territory. _I added silently. He knew what I was saying.

Howard sighed, his black hair falling into his eyes and nodded. "I knew we wouldn't be able to stay after today. George attacked me outright without any warning." He turned his arm towards me. A long patch of new skin was growing back. I knew that it would be gone in a matter of hours, but still, I felt like it was all my fault.

"Okay…" I turned away from him and started my way back up the hill. I stopped and looked over my shoulder. "and Howard?"

He turned to look at me. His silence was an open invitation for me to say what I was thinking.

"Stay within a few miles of our meeting place. I have a bad feeling I'm going to need your help sometime in the future."

He nodded and turned away, running out of sight into the deepest part of the woods. I began walking back home, knowing that I had done all I could to finish the fight before it even started.

Jacob's POV

We were less than a mile north of Nate's place when he had to leave to fix something that had happened in the pack. He turned to face me before he left.

_Listen for my howl. You'll know it when you hear it. I'll be on my way towards you when you hear it._

I nodded, knowing that I didn't have to respond to let him know I understood. He ran off out of the cornfield we were in the middle of. I looked at Quil and Embry, and then at Haley and Toa. We had all found out that if we tried hard enough, we could all hear each other's thoughts without too much difficulty.

_Let's keep heading north. I think we might pick up a trail if we do._

We all took off towards Kokomo, hoping to run into something before we reached the Williams/Howard county line.

_Jake, I'm the best tracker in our pack, that's why Nate asked me if I wanted to tag along. _Haley told me as we ran on. _I know how you feel._

_How do you know how I feel? Besides the normal wolf reasons like 'oh well I can feel what you feel dumbass' or 'because I've experienced it through your eyes'. That stuff is pure crap._

Haley rolled her eyes at me. She was actually a very pretty russet color. _I meant about Elizabeth, how you feel like it's all your fault because she died after you knew her for what? Thirty minutes? Please, I've known her all my life and I'm the one that told her to go to Forks in the first place. Even with her… condition. _

_Her condition? _I had never hear anything about Elizabeth having a condition.

Toa snorted. _Haley, it isn't a condition it was a good weapon to use against those vampires. You know that._

_Shut up! _She was now growling at Toa. _She called it her condition and that's what I will call it now that she's gone. You see Jake, Elizabeth is a… special circumstance in the gene pool. She got this lucky/unlucky mutation, depending on what view you have, that makes her immune to vampire poison. If one bit her, she won't die. She gets right back up and attacks the mother fucker until its dead. The downside to this mutation is that she seems to have more… animalistic characteristics than we do. She craves raw meat and sometimes has to go out and hunt for herself, but that isn't the downside… not completely. You see, she's… different than the rest of us. Vampires don't smell the musk of wolf that they smell on the rest of us. They smell whatever sings to them. She drew vampires in like flies to a Venus flytrap… that's how she worded it. _

_Oh… well, I guess that isn't the story I was expecting to hear… Thanks Haley, but I still feel like it's my fault for not warning her beforehand._

_We all feel bad about it Jake… Now let me see if I can pick up any vampire scent. _

A low call came from the distance. I stopped and listened.

_Don't worry Jake, that's Nate's call. He'll be coming this way soon. George did something stupid… As usual._

Bella's POV

I looked up at Edward with my mouth hanging open in shock. _Bella breath in, breath out, you have to remember to breath in, breath out. _

"Is Elizabeth here?" I squeaked.

Edward smiled his amazingly perfect crooked smile. I felt my heart skip a beat again. _God, this guy is going to be the end of me. _

"No, I'm sorry; my cousin is a bit of a, go with the wind kind of person. She tends to go wherever she pleases without telling her pour uncle where she's going."

"So he is her uncle. She kept calling him Dr. Cullen, so I didn't know if he was a friend of the family or not…."

Edward smiled again. "Well, Dr. Cullen is my father… would you like to come in? It's probably better than being out in that storm that's coming this way."

I nodded and walked inside. Nothing had changed from the night before, to my relief. I sat down on the couch. Edwards sat next to me. I felt my pulse quicken as he turned to face me. "So how long have you known my cousin?"

"Not long… I actually met her the same day I met you…"

"Oh." He smiled. "Did you meet her at Shedd?"

I nodded, unable to trust my mouth.

"We were wondering where she went… You see, I have a younger brother and sister that are with us as well… We had to move from where we used to live because… my cousin's father had a bit of a spill overseas."

I frowned. "Elizabeth didn't tell me her father had gotten hurt… Is he okay?"

Edward's eyes lit up in surprise, but he recovered from it so quickly I wasn't sure it had even been there. He looked into the kitchen and smiled. "I'll be right back okay?"

I nodded and watched him go. I felt myself slump into the couch with relief. There was no way Edward felt the same for me as I did him. There was just _no _way.

The front door opened a few seconds later, causing me to jolt out of my thoughts. Elizabeth stood in the doorway soaking wet. I rose my eyebrows at her and shook my head.

"What? I had to walk over to a friend's house… he had a bit of an… issue, and called me up to see if I could help him. Good thing my father taught me how to fix computers, otherwise Howard would've been screwed…" She said as she walked inside and took her shoes off. "I'll be right back Bella, I need to change."

I let her leave me in the living room as she trudged off towards the kitchen.

Edward's POV

"We were wondering where she went… You see, I have a younger brother and sister that are with us as well… We had to move from where we used to live because… my cousin's father had a bit of a spill overseas." I explained to Bella, hoping she wouldn't ask any unforeseen questions. God it was such a pain to have to guess what she was thinking.

She frowned. "Elizabeth didn't tell me her father had gotten hurt… Is he okay?"

I knew my eyes had lit up in surprise, but before Bella could register my shock, I changed my expression to one of concern. I looked into the kitchen and smiled back at Bella. I needed to get answers from Carlisle and fast. "I'll be right back okay?"

I left her in the living room on the couch before she could ask any more questions. I needed answers and a good story to tell her. Carlisle would know what to do. He had helped me cover my ass plenty of times, and now was definitely one of those 'I need help now' moments.

Carlisle was sitting in the kitchen, reading the local newspaper from the looks of it. I sat down across from him and let him finish the article he was reading before I launched my attack on him. He slowly folded the newspaper and set it down on the table.

"Yes, Edward?"

"Will you please tell me what the fuck is going on?" I whispered angrily. I knew Bella wouldn't be able to hear us from the kitchen, but I made sure that my voice was so quiet only Carlisle could hear.

"In a minute, Edward. I think it will be easier to let you see everything first."

I gave him a confused look, but before I could ask anymore, there was a slight cough. I turned around.

"Edward, this is Elizabeth Frost, the girl Jasper attacked." Carlisle said softly.

I sat there, staring like an idiot at the 5 foot 5 inch tall girl with golden locks that were now a dark brownish color and stuck to her head due to the soaking they had just received. Her bright grey eyes were exactly the same as I remembered. She waited for me to speak, but all I could do is stare at her like an idiot.

"You…. You…."

"Shouldn't be alive? Yea Edward, I know." She said skeptically.

"B…bu….but how…"

"The fuck did I survive?" She finished my thought. "I have a lucky mutation that helps me regenerate blood if I lose more than I should."

I shook my head.

"Don't ask that, I don't know what he's doing and I have no clue if they are even here."

"Who are even here? Edward what is she talking about?"

I growled at Elizabeth. "If you would so kindly let me finish my thoughts and say what I'm thinking out loud, I'm sure Carlisle would appreciate it."

She nodded and sat down at the table in between Carlisle and I. "He was going to ask me what I knew of Jacob and his pack, and to be truthful Edward, I didn't even know he was a wolf until you mentioned it. I knew that Jasper had to leave because he was being hunted, but I didn't know Jake had anything to do with it. I'm sorry…"

I nodded and sighed softly. "So,"

"Edward, everything will be explained later, as of right now, I've got a very human friend sitting in the living room that doesn't even know this world exists… I've got to go change so I can hang out with her…"

I nodded. "Just one last question Elizabeth."

"And what would that be?"

"Can you hear her thoughts?" I had to know if it was only me she was immune to. After listening to Elizabeth's thoughts, and her constant shielding of her thoughts from me, I knew she could read my thoughts as well as I could hers.

She shook her head slowly. "My power is slightly different than yours Edward, but no… I can't hear her thoughts…"

I gave her a funny look. "How is your power different than mine?"

She rolled her eyes. "This is the last question I'm answering Edward. Imagine a truck that has a radio system. There are three different frequencies to choose from. Your truck has the standard AM FM frequencies, while mine has XM radio. I can pick and chose who I can hear and who can hear me. You can tune everybody out, but they are still there for you. Am I correct?"

I nodded slowly.

"I can tune everybody around me out, and not hear anything from them. I can actually listen to my pack without them knowing I'm there. That's why my pack still thinks I'm dead… Now, if you'll excuse me… I've got to change out of these soaking wet clothes."

She left the room before I could as anything else. I looked at Carlisle and then sighed.

Carlisle chuckled silently to himself. "And so fate draws us together like strings in a pattern."

"What do you mean Carlisle?"

"There is a reason behind why she didn't die, and why we were all drawn to come here. I don't know exactly what it means, but something big is going to happen in our future.

AN: I've been meaning to post this in earlier chapters, but I kept forgetting, so if anybody is wondering if there really is a Willsboro in Indiana, there isn't, at least, not that I know of, that and there is no Williams county near the Howard county border, at least, the last time I checked there wasn't. The town is a fictional town, because I have a very overactive imagination, the same goes for the county as well. I hope everybody has enjoyed this story so far. Please review. Talicka


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Elizabeth's POV

I ran up to my bedroom and rushed around, looking for something to wear. There wasn't much besides the skin tight Lupus optic fiber clothing. The clothing was actually pretty comfortable, but when it came to wearing it around the house and not out in the wild, the clothing become a little too constrictive, showing every contour of my body. I didn't want to wear that stuff unless I had to. I didn't have much more of a choice though. All my clothes were back at my aunt's house in Forks. Not exactly close to home.

I picked up a light blue short sleeved shirt and felt the fibers that had been interwoven into the fabric. They had a soft silken feeling, but the fibers made the nice blue color of the shirt look harsh, almost metallic. I didn't want to wear that around the house. Not with Bella around, and definitely not with Edward or Carlisle around. I sighed and ran to my closet, hoping to find some regular clothes.

I opened my closet and sighed. Everything that would have been normal clothing had the same metallic look as that first shirt I had picked up. I growled and looked at my dresser, dreading the thought of what was in there. I walked over to it anyway, and opened all my drawers.

Damn farmers with all their money.

Every single thing in my dresser, yes even my pajamas and underclothing, was made with the Lupus Optic Fibers. I let out an exasperated sigh and began to search through my already limited supply of clothing.

The Lupus Optic Fiber was the best stuff money could buy. Unlike our everyday clothing, the L.O.F.'s as we called them, changed with our bodies and molded into the surroundings, becoming almost invisible. They didn't explode off of us like our real clothes did, or our shoes for that matter. The farmers were working on a prototype L.O.F. shoe that could help protect our paws once we changed. So far, each shoe they had tested would go flying off our feet in pieces.

_Next time I go out, I'm getting myself some new _regular _clothes. _

I slipped on a pair of the skinny jean L.O.F. pants and the light blue short sleeved shirt I had picked up earlier. This would just have to do until I got out to the nearest outlet mall. _At least_, I thought to myself humorlessly, _I won't have to worry about my clothes if I get pissed off by Edward_.

"Elizabeth! Are you okay?" I heard Bella call up the stairs.

I walked out into the slim hallway that lead down to the stairs and smiled down at her. "Everything's fine."

"Wow, you look really good in those clothes."

I sighed. _See what I mean? You know you don't like this kind of attention Forsty but you're going to have to live with it until you can get to a mall. _I thought dryly. _Well, I might as well face the music now._

Bella smiled as I walked down the stairs. I had my favorite pair of Converse on to go with my slightly punked out look. I smiled back.

"You want to go shopping with me? It doesn't matter if you don't want to… I just need some company." I smiled and crossed my fingers behind my back.

Bella looked toward the kitchen for a minute and then silently nodded. "I'm not much of one for shopping though."

I beamed at her. "Don't worry. I just need to buy some clothes that actually look _normal._"

Bella laughed and shook her head. "Elizabeth you look fine."

I harrumphed and walked towards the door. "I don't think I look fine. I feel like I'm trying to be something I'm not."

Bella took me by the arm and gently lead me back to the kitchen. "Don't worry Elizabeth. You look amazing."

I sighed. I had a feeling it would be a _long _time before I could get out of the stupid LOF clothing.

Jake's POV

_Jake! I've got something! _

I stopped where I was at and turned back to where Haley was at. I loped up to her and took a good whiff at the smell. I snorted and shook my head.

_That's him alright. Nate?_

_What Jake? _He was cleaning his muzzle off on the grass. We had all eaten a deer I had brought down for lunch.

_We've got his scent. _

Nate bristled and got up. He was by my side in no time; his midnight black coat was soaked. All of our coats were all drenched to the bone, and it was still raining cats and dogs.

_Toa went ahead to see what he could find. Let's go catch up with him. _Haley said, her feet were prancing against the edge of the woods. _He went off into the cornfields… well; this field is a bean field, but still. It's a fresh scent. We could still possibly catch him!_

I nodded and looked at Nate. _Ready for revenge?_

_I'm more than ready Jake._

We all took off in the direction of Jasper's scent. I imagined closing my jaws around his neck as we loped off.

_What the…? _Toa growled out a few miles ahead of us.

_What's wrong Toa?_

_The trail! It just… it just ends! _

_What? Are you sure? _Haley called out.

_Yes I'm sure! I wouldn't tell you what was going on if I wasn't sure!_

_Hang on Toa, we will be right there. _I thought as we sped up to find the younger wolf.

We reached Toa in a matter of minutes. He was standing in the middle of the woods sniffing around the path's end.

Haley stuck her nose to the ground and began to sniff around, but to her amazement, the path actually did stop right where Toa said it did. We had lost our lead. I felt all of our spirits sink to the ground as the realization hit us.

_Let's just call it a day guys. _Nate thought sadly as he and his two pack members turned away from the small forested area. Quil and Embry looked at me and began to follow behind them. I brought up the rear.

I hated vampires.

Jasper's POV

I ran into the hotel room as fast as I could. Alice was at my side immediately.

"What happened? I was watching you a few minutes ago and then suddenly you just _disappeared! _I only saw you come back a few seconds ago safe and sound!" She was in full blown 'I'm freaking out because of you' mode.

I gently took her hands in mine and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry Alice." I whispered, doing my magic to calm her down. She took in a few breaths and then curled up in my arms. I held her close, hoping that she was okay.

"I love you too much to see you just disappear like that." Alice whispered softly after a few minutes of comfortable silence. "You had no idea what that did to me."

I chuckled and put my finger under her chin and lifted it up so I could see her face. I knew she loved when I did that. "I do know what it did to you. I know what it _does _to you when I leave. I'm sorry. I promise that it won't happen again."

"It better not." Alice kissed my lips gently and pulled me over to the bed.

I smiled and let her.

Bella's POV

I sat down at the kitchen table next to Edward. I felt a little self conscience about how I looked with Elizabeth dressed the way she was. She was still insisting on going out shopping for normal clothing, but her clothing looked normal. I wondered what was so different about it.

Elizabeth sat down next to me and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. I looked at her and smiled. "You really do look good you know that right?"

She sighed and nodded unhappily and then glared at Edward he was smiling bemusedly. I felt like I was missing something that was going on between the two of them. I looked at Dr. Cullen, who seemed to have the same 'what in the world are those two doing' look I did.

"So Mr. Cullen, you didn't tell me Elizabeth was you're niece." I said smiling. "At least, I don't remember you telling me she was."

Carlisle turned his attention to me and nodded. "Well, you see, I'm not blood related to her. Her aunt married me a few years ago and I've been her step uncle ever since. Right Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth snapped her head away from Edward's eyes and smiled at him. "Right Dr. Cullen…" She turned to me. "You see, he's more of my godfather. He didn't explain it right." She got up and got a Coke from the fridge and turned towards me. "You want something to drink?"

I nodded my head and she tossed a coke at me. I tried to catch it, but failed miserably. Edward managed to grab it right before it hit the floor. He handed it to me.

"I see you don't have the best hand-eye coordination around." His face was fighting the urge to smile, I could tell in his eyes.

I shrugged. _Yes Edward, I could trip over a flat surface because my coordination sucks that much. I'm an accident magnet, or at least, that's what Renée tells me all the time._

"Eh, she wouldn't be the only person who sucks at catching things around here. Don't worry Bella, you'll outgrow it. I did." Elizabeth told me with a smile.

_I highly doubt that Elizabeth. _"Yeah, maybe I will outgrow it." I looked at the clock. It was two in the afternoon. "Oh crap. I've gotta go Elizabeth. Thanks for letting me come over!" I ran out the door and over to my truck. I had a job interview in Kokomo that I couldn't miss.

Elizabeth's POV

That night I went to bed early. I had learned from my father that if I concentrated hard enough, I could easily go into a trance. It was the easy way to communicate with Nathan without meeting him face-to-face. It was called dream talking, and even though I preferred to yell at him in his face, I decided it would be much smarter to just deal with everything in the dream-world. At least then, Nate wouldn't know if I was alive or not.

God I hated lying to him, but it was for the best. I had to keep telling myself that it was for his and the pack's safety, but I knew better. It was for my own problems. It was because I thought everything was my fault.

_I was quickly plunged back into the darkness that I had become so accustomed to when I was in my hibernating state. I sighed softly as the feeling of being submerged in water began to slowly melt away. I was in the middle of a large graveyard when I opened my eyes. I shivered, remembering that fateful night when Gerard had brought me to this very place and attacked me._

_Blood covered his lips as he came closer and began to suck the life force out of me. I thought I was dying, but I was so terribly wrong. _

_The burning had settled into my body once he left. I couldn't move, all I felt was the darkness and the burning._

_I shivered and looked down at the grave I had appeared at. I jumped back in fear._

_**Elizabeth Frost**_

_**September 1992- April 2009**_

_**A loving daughter and caring friend**_

"_Liz? Is that you?" _

_I turned around and smiled, Nathan was walking out of the woods that circled around Willsboro's small cemetery. I nodded and waited for him to speak. He practically attacked me in a huge bear hug._

"_Nate! Nate. I. Can't. Breath!" I said while trying to push him off of me._

_He let go of me and smiled. "Sorry… so… what are you here for?"_

_I sighed softly and looked him in the eyes. "You are not my pack's leader Nate."_

_He gave me a good long stare. "I thought this might be about why I can't command the pack like you could." He grumbled softly._

_I growled. "You are not the leader of the pack. Now please, do me a favor and stop trying to something you're not." I began to head for the road that lead into town, but he stopped me._

"_Then who is the leader?"_

_I snarled and pushed him away. "I and I alone am the leader of the pack Nathan. Now listen to me and listen closely. Stay home tomorrow, send any other wolves out of your house at noon and go out back. Everything, and I mean _everything _will be explained then and there."_

"_But… how…"_

"_Don't ask me any questions!" I turned towards him and snarled. "Just do as I say."_

_He sighed and nodded his head unhappily. "I still don't…"_

I was gone before he could finish his sentence. I'd be nicer to him tomorrow, when it really mattered.

AN: Chapter 11 is now done… what will happen when Elizabeth meets Nate tomorrow? Hmmm well you'll just have to wait and see. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review. Talicka

_Replies:_

_Sujari6: Yea, I thought it would be a good idea to fix that problem. I forgot to do that in an earlier chapter, so I made up for it in the last one. Thanks for reviewing _


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Bella's POV

The interview I had with the manager of the main sporting goods store at one of the many malls in town didn't go well. I kept thinking about Edward and Elizabeth and how the two of them seemed to have been having their own conversation just by looking at each other. It seemed like Carlisle and I hadn't even existed until we had started talking.

Elizabeth looked so much better than I did. With the clothes she had on yesterday she looked like a freaking model that had jumped of the pages of a magazine. The clothes fit her perfectly, almost like they were costume made, but I doubted they were. Elizabeth didn't look like the kind of person that could afford clothes that were made to fit her and only her.

I mean, compared to me, she looked so beautiful. She was tall, slightly tan, had a beautiful coppery-golden red color to her hair, and on top of that, she had those magnificent light almost metallic looking grey eyes. She was the definition of what a girl from Phoenix should look like. I mean, she could even light up a room with her personality! There was a pull to her that made you want to get to know her, while I was just a wallflower that preferred to live in solitude. My dark brown hair, normal brown eyes, short build, and pale ivory skin where nothing compared to her! Elizabeth had said how Carlisle was her god father, but Edward said he saw her as his cousin. She and Edward weren't cousins though, which meant they could possibly hook up. I bit my lower lip as I thought about all of the possibilities.

I let out a long slow sigh as I thought about not having Edward. I flinched when I got inside the hot truck. The rain had cleared up from this morning and the sunlight that had streamed through my window had caused the dark color of my seats become searing hot. I buckled in my seatbelt and put the key in ignition. The truck roared to life. I pulled out onto the highway and turned onto the nearest side road. My ancient Chevy would start to complain after it reached its personal maximum speed limit of 65 miles per hour. My truck was my baby, and even though it was old; it was my only mode of transportation, so I took good care of it. It was babied more than I would have babied a new car, just because it had a bit of a temper if it wasn't in its best condition.

It took me a good thirty-five minutes of driving the side roads before I reached my home. I put the truck in park, took the key out of the ignition and got out. The home was locked up, so I had to use my keys to get into the garage door, but that didn't bother me. Mom was probably out on her latest adventure. The best part of Indiana; I didn't have to worry about talking Mom out of anything she might regret. Well, exempting the idea of getting a motorcycle and the idea of getting a tattoo.

I walked in from the garage and checked the washer to see if there were any clothes that needed to be switched over. -Mom was liable to forget that she had put a load in before she had left the house-. There were none to my relief. I hung my keys up on the key rack and went to go sit down on the couch to relax.

I looked at the clock above our 47' plasma screen TV that I had won in a lucky draw at school. It was four o'clock. I wondered idly if Mom had checked the mail, and then decided that I might as well go and check for her.

I walked out the front door towards the mailbox that stood at the end of my driveway. I looked both ways and noticed that there was a car in the distance. I didn't pay it much mind since it was a ways away. Clouds were beginning to roll in from the east.

"Bella! Look out!" I heard Edward yell my name, but I knew it was already too late. My reflexes were already too slow to rely on to save my life. The car hydroplaned across the pavement and came barreling down towards me. I blinked and saw my life flash before my eyes. I ran for the yard, but the van swerved out of control.

With my eyes shut tight, I expected to feel the pain of the car colliding with me before anything, but instead, the crunch of the car was what I heard first. It felt like it was curling around me, but when I opened my eyes, I realized it was Edward with is harms wrapped around me. He was holding me against his chest and was helping away from the wreck.

I looked back at the car and noticed it was wrapped around the mailbox, right where I had stood moments before. The poor mailbox hadn't survived the collision with the car. It hung low to the ground and looked as if it had been snapped in two. My heart felt like it was going to explode from the dose of adrenaline I had just experienced.

"Bella?" Edward's velvet voice was soothing against my ear. "Bella!" He took my face in his hands and inspected me for any wounds. His voice was urgent and rough, sounding just as scared as I felt. "Are you okay? Did the van hit you? Are you okay?" I remember nodding my head when he asked me if I was okay and shaking it no when he asked if the van had hit me, but I don't remember whether I replied to his urgent questions or not. "I'm taking you over to Carlisle; he'll be able to see if you're okay or not." He decided after a few minutes.

Picking me up with ease, Edward took me across the street. I didn't complain at all. My legs weren't stable enough to support my own weight, and I had the feeling that if I tried to walk, I'd just end up on the ground. The shock of almost getting run over was way too much for me. I curled up in his arms and closed my eyes, letting the smell of Edward's cologne take me away to a fantasy world. He didn't speak until we reached the house.

"Bella," Edward whispered softly in my ear, tickling it as he sat me down on the couch. "You can let go now." He chuckled. "I've got to go talk to the owner of the van. I couldn't tell if he was okay or not…" He kissed my forehead gently and stood up as I unhitched myself from his body.

Carlisle was by my side as soon as Edward walked out the door. He had a small doctor's bag at his side and as he smiled at me, he began to pull out a stethoscope out of the bag. "I saw what happened," He began softly as he listened to my heart. "Good thing Edward was coming over to see if you wanted to come over once Elizabeth gets home." He shook his head and waited for a few minutes before he spoke. "I have no clue how her father deals with her." He chuckled and removed the cold metal from my body.

I shook my head and began to wonder about my luck. _Way to go Bella, you weren't even doing something lethal yet you almost get killed because of it. What is wrong with you Mrs. Swan? You seem to be a magnet for disaster? Yes, yes, I know Dr. Cullen. _I thought to myself humorlessly.

"Well, nothing seems to be wrong with your heart. It seems to be coming off of its adrenaline rush already actually." Carlisle smiled and checked to see if my pupils would dilate. "It seems you're just fine. No concussions, contusions, lacerations, or anything of that sort." He looked down at his bag and pulled out one of those rubber triangle things and hit my leg. It responded to the light hit like is should have. "Reflexes are working fine as well." He looked at me with a wide grin. "You're absolutely fine, thank god."

I shrugged. "If it hadn't been for Edward, I probably would have been the farthest thing from fine." I said softly.

Carlisle nodded and began putting all of the instruments he had used back into his bag. "You were very lucky he was where he was when the car started to hydroplane. He pushed you out of the way just in time."

"B-but… h-he wasn't even walking across the street when I was at the mailbox. I didn't even see him until after the van was almost on me." I started to babble on like a lunatic. There had to be a way to get me to stop talking when I began to say too much. There just had to be.

"Bella," Carlisle said while looking me straight in the eyes. "He was right beside you when he told you to look out. I heard him from the open window in the living room. I looked out the window just as he pushed you out of the way. I saw him."

Edward walked in just as Carlisle stood up. He smiled at him and looked at me with concern. "Is she okay?"

Carlisle nodded and started for the kitchen. "There is nothing wrong with her, but she seems determined to stick to the story that she didn't see you until the van was practically on her…" He raised an eyebrow at Edward. "Maybe you two should have a bit of a chat before you do anything else." He said as he walked out of the room. Before he left, he turned around and gave Edward a good long stare.

_Now what the hell caused him to look at Edward like that? What did he do?_

Edward walked over to me and sat down beside me on the couch. "The local ambulance just pulled up and the paramedics insist that they should have a look at you before they leave for the hospital. It would be a good idea to let them get a look at you just in case Carlisle missed something. You'd be surprised, for the wreck being so bad, the guy in the van only has a broken arm." He smiled a crooked smile. "We're lucky he has one of those cars that automatically call an ambulance if a wreck occurs." He gently took me in his arms. "Shall we?"

I nodded my head reluctantly and we walked out the front door and out into the street. A small police cruiser, an ambulance, and a fire truck that said in bold letters **Williams County Volunteer Fire Department **on both sides, were sitting on the side of the road. A tow truck from the local towing agency was pulling up to collect the car. Edward helped me toward the ambulance.

When I got inside the ambulance, the paramedics swarmed me, doing the same thing Carlisle had done minutes before. They let me go without saying anything about going to the hospital to my relief. I would just _love _to explain this accident to my mother. She would've had a heart attack or maybe something worse if she had come home with a call from the hospital waiting for her. I shuddered at the thought.

"Are you _sure _you're okay?" Edward asked as we walked back to his house. –Thank god I had regained stability while the paramedics had done their swarming.- "I kind of pushed you pretty hard to get you out of the path of that van." Edward was still looking me over as the ambulance turned on its sirens and went flying down the road. The tow truck, police cruiser, and fire truck followed behind it.

I nodded slowly as we walked into the cool house. "Are you sure the driver was okay? He looked like he had a lot more than a broken arm." I asked, concerned about the old man I had seen in the ambulance.

Edward nodded. "You'd be surprised, but he was more concerned about us kids than he was about his broken arm. He told me he was going to report this to his insurance. It will cover any medical bills you might have because of the accident."

I looked at Edward and let silence overcome us. It wasn't a comfortable silence though. I had to many questions in my head to keep it silent for long, so I took in a deep breath and looked at him just as we sat down on the couch. I'd be asking this question sooner or later, and I'd rather ask it while it was still on my mind.

"You weren't coming over to ask if I could come over later were you? I didn't even see you come towards me, and I would have if you were. If you look at where the mailbox was, -I'd have to find a way to explain that mess to Mom, that was, if she asked.- you can see the front door of you house from there." I explained before he could say that I couldn't see him. I wanted answers, and I wanted them now.

Edward barked a laugh and gently put his arm around me. "You must have hit your head harder than Carlisle… and the paramedics… thought. I was right beside you when the van came barreling down the road."

I growled at him and walked towards the front door. "Oh forget it! You're not going to fucking tell me anything are you?" I stomped outside, slamming the front door of the house as I hard as I could as I went.

Elizabeth's POV

It wasn't easy sleeping for me after I had talked to Nate. Edward had been pacing back and forth in the room next to mine most of the night, and when he woke me up at four that morning, I gave up trying to sleep completely.

I walked out of my room and gently rapped on his door. A low mumble escaped from the room, and I guessed he was saying come in. I opened the door and looked into the guest bedroom my dad used for when his military buddies came over. "Edward?" I whispered softly before I walked right into the room.

He looked up from the floor at me; his eyes were burning an angry shade of black. I cringed away at once, hearing his thoughts and his hunger as if they were my own. I had hunted plenty of vampires when they were at this stage of hunger, but I still hated dealing with a vampire that was on the edge of being too hungry to think straight. "You want to go out hunting with me? Y-you look like you need to get some blood in you… a-and I was getting ready to go out and make my daily round for meat anyways…" I stumbled over my words as I tried to keep my mind off of the idea of him attacking me in my own house. "If you're planning on seeing Bella again, it might be a good idea to come with me…" _Besides, I don't want you attacking me since you're living in my home. _I added to myself, even though my thoughts could be heard loud and clear.

He nodded after a few minutes of thinking. "I'll take you up on your offer… Is there anything good around here to drink?"

I shook my head slowly. "There isn't much besides deer." I muttered softly. "But it's filling enough for what you're doing."

"Thanks Elizabeth…"

I chuckled. "Call me Liz… or Eliza. If we're going to keep up this charade of you being my cousin but not really being my cousin, you better start calling me by the name my pack uses."

Edward gave me a weird look.

"My pack is my family." I explained. "We all call each other by nicknames. Haley's is Hales, mine's Eliza, Liz or Lizzie, and there are way too many more to explain."

He nodded. "Thanks Elizabeth…"

"Okay… Liz…. Were you planning on hunting right now?"

I nodded as my stomach growled. "I think it would be a good idea to get started as soon as possible." I looked down at the LOF pajama outfit I was wearing and decided it would have to work. I wouldn't even take the time to change into shoes, since I obviously wouldn't be using them.

Edward smiled and we started off for the stairs. "So, Liz… I was wondering… if you could help me out with the problem I've caused with Bella?"

"Ah, you mean what you did after the car wreck?" I asked knowingly.

He nodded.

"Well, first off all, you need to apologize for being such an ass yesterday." I said matter-of-factly. "That might cause her to forgive you."

"How did you know how I…"

"Acted?" I smiled. "Easy, Carlisle gave me a play by play of what happened… He didn't seem very happy about it to tell the truth…"

We walked outside and Edward let out a long sigh. "Well, I'm not sorry for doing it. The first thing that came to my mind when I saw that car was: 'what if her blood get's spilled?' I knew I'd get into major trouble if I just bent over and drank her blood in front of somebody, and even if there was nobody around, I'd have to deal with knowing she had a family and everything else…"

We continued on our way until we reached the cornfield. I let his answer sink in before I began to speak again. "Well, you see Edward, the main problem lies not with Carlisle, but with Bella. She's not like us; you and I both know that." I said simply. "When people see something that shouldn't have happened, the brain kind of overloads, and it didn't really help things much the way I see it. You provided her with the idea… and evidence that you were hiding something from her. I know the rules okay." I said quickly before he could say what he was thinking. "I know we aren't supposed to tell people about us. Even a mangy mutt like me knows these things."

"Liz you aren't the same as the La Push wolves."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah right." I snorted as we walked. It felt nice to just walk instead of run. I knew Edward was enjoying it as much as I was. He wanted to take it slow and talk everything out with me before he made his next move, and I let him.

After awhile he let out another sigh. "Well, what do you think I should do?"

I shook my head. "Well Eddie." I said while chuckling. He rolled his eyes at me. "Take her out with you today. It's not going to rain until about three and it's supposed to be overcast all day… so you won't have to worry about your… problem." I shook my head. "Don't worry, my predictions, unlike the weatherman's, are always spot on. It kind of helps to be a wolf sometimes." I waited until he nodded his head and then began again. "Go up to Mississinawa… I'll even let you borrow the map to the place I like to go when I need some private time that's in my room. It's amazing there, and it will give you the privacy to explain some things to her… If that's what you want." I smiled. "But you have to listen to my instructions, no ifs ands or buts."

"Okay, I will." He said softly and then shot forward. I smiled and raced after him as we neared the small woods. Now wasn't the time to discuss these things. I felt the fire burn through me as I changed form. Edward looked at me in surprise as I caught up to him in a matter of minutes. I didn't need to explain anything to him though. Nothing mattered but the hunt, and now was the time to hunt.

Bella's POV

I woke up earlier than I had originally planned on the morning after the crash. My dreams had gotten crazier since yesterday, and I was beginning to have trouble sleeping at night because of it. I wondered if Edward was the cause of all of it, Bella's POV

I woke up earlier than I had originally planned on the morning after the crash. My dreams had gotten crazier since yesterday, and I was beginning to have trouble sleeping at night because of it. I wondered if Edward was the cause of all of it, but I wasn't too sure, so I wasn't going to voice my opinion. Not yet at least. Everything that had happened the day before was still swirling around in my head like a massive ball of unsolved messes. I felt sick to my stomach, but that was only because of how Edward had acted yesterday.

Edward was like a little child, one minute he liked on toy, and then the next, he wanted nothing to do with it. I didn't know how to deal with the tantrums, but I knew I'd have to if I wanted everything to work out, and believe me; I wanted everything to work out.

I looked at my alarm clock that sat on the small nightstand by my bed; it was seven in the morning. Willing myself out of my nice warm bed, I got up and began looking for something to wear. I quickly changed out of my holey sweatpants and got into a nice fitting pair of jeans I had recently gotten. I was looking for my favorite shirt and thinking about where I should go for the day, when I heard a light tapping on the door. Expecting to see my mother, I pulled a robe on over my otherwise naked torso and opened the door. I about had a heart attack when I saw Edward standing there with his trademark crooked smile.

I immediately turned a bright, deep shade of red and closed the door. I decided that I didn't have the time to find my eyelet lace shirt until later, so instead, I pulled my favorite dark green polo and brown jacket out of my small dresser. Today it was supposed to be cooler than the normal late May temperature due to the lack of humidity and the cold front that was blowing in. I quickly pulled my shirt and jacket on and opened the door for Edward. I was so happy to see that he hadn't even moved from his spot at the door.

"Sorry about that…" I said while scratching the back of my head uneasily. "I had a bit of a moment…"

"It's fine." Edward smiled and looked me over. "You look nice… I didn't mean to barge in like this… but the door was open and your mom doesn't seem to be home…" He shifted uncomfortably for a moment and then looked at me with his beautiful topaz eyes. "I actually came here to apologize… Were you in a hurry to go anywhere today?"

_Oh god, shoot me now. After what happened yesterday there is no way he actually wants to talk to me… What if he regrets saving me? What if I lost my chance with him? _Panic mode was definitely switched on the minute he asked me if I was going anywhere. I shook my head, trying to clear out my thoughts and smiled at him. "Well, actually I was thinking about going somewhere, but you kind of made me lose track of where I wanted to go…" _Bella stop talking before you scare him away you twit. You don't need to explain everything to him!_

His grin widened until I thought it was going to consume his face. "Well, I found this really nice place up in the Mississinawa Reservoir if you want to go there with me?" He waited for my answer.

I smiled. "Um…. Sure! Let me go find my boots first though…" I ran back into my room, leaving the door open for Edward, and found my boots in a still unpacked box. I quickly unzipped them and pulled them onto my feet. "Okay… I'm ready…. Please tell me I'm not going to kill myself when we get there."

Edward chuckled. "Don't worry. The trail we're going on had no steep cliffs or anything."

I sighed in relief. "Good."

Edward chuckled and took my hand in his as we walked out of my room. "I really am sorry about yesterday… I guess the adrenaline just hadn't left my system after seeing the wreck. I know I was an ass… Will you forgive me?"

I shrugged. "It's okay… I guess I was a little antsy because of the adrenalin pumping through my system as well."Edward smiled at me and we got into his car, which was a nice silver Volvo.

The drive up to Peru wasn't nearly as long as I had expected it to be. We went through Kokomo first and went into the local Meijer. We got a cooler, some drinks, some ice, and a small tray of fruit. I smiled when we got into the car after putting everything into the cooler.

"So what's so important about Mississinawa?" I asked as we drove off onto the main highway through Kokomo, U.S. 31.

He smiled. "Have you ever been there?"

I shook my head no. "My mom was on this hiking kick earlier this year in the spring and she went up there almost every weekend during the month of March, but I was too afraid of tripping over tree roots to go with her." I looked out the window and watched the fast food restaurants fly by. "I've been to the Wildcat a few times with a Paxton Jacobs, Brook Jones, and Xavier Phillips… they were some friends I met at school, but past that the only other reservoirs and likes I've ever been to are in Washington."

Edward smiled at me as he drove. "I just moved back here from Washington."

I began to get a little dizzy watching all the buildings go by, so I turned to see how fast Edward was going. "Holy shit you're going to make us get into a wreck if you don't slow down!" I yelped when I saw he was going about thirty miles over the speed limit.

"Relax Bella." Edward laughed. "I'm a safe driver. I swear we aren't going to get into a wreck."

"I'd prefer it if we were going at a speed limit that is actually legal." I huffed.

All he did was laugh at me.

Edward pulled up into the large parking lot and smiled at me. "See? What did I tell you? We got here safe and sound. No wrecks, no close calls, nothing."

I sighed and unfastened my seat belt. I had been holding onto it with a stranglehold ever since I noticed how fast he had been going. He chuckled at me.

"Can you please get the map that's in the glove box? It will help me find the place we are going again." Edward said as he got out of the car and pulled the cooler out of the trunk. "I kept forgetting where it was located so I decided to mark it down.

I nodded, opened up the glove box, and grabbed the map that was laying wide open inside of it. In the right corner, there was a small signature.

_**Property of Elizabeth Frost**_

_**If found, please return to.**_

_**If stolen, GIVE ME BACK MY FUCKING MAP!**_

_**~Thank you~ **_

_**E.J.F.**_

I started laughing at it. "Did you steal this from your cousin, because I think she wants her map back?"

Edward looked down at the map and then chuckled. "Oh… yeah, I asked her if I could borrow it three years ago after I came here on my own. She keeps asking for it back, but I keep forgetting to do so." He smiled. "What she doesn't know won't hurt her."

Edward's POV

Bella smiled and opened up the glove box. She grabbed the open map and started laughing. "Did you steal this from your cousin?"

I looked down at the map and then chuckled. "Oh… yeah, I asked her if I could borrow it three years ago after I came here on my own. She keeps asking for it back, but I keep forgetting to do so." I smiled at her. "What she doesn't know won't hurt her." _Great, there goes another lie to add to the list. By the time everything clears up with Jasper and the wolves, I might as well invite Elizabeth to become a part of the family. Her father already thinks she's dead. At least, that's what she's told me. _

I looked up and realized Bella had said something without me noticing. "I'm sorry… I didn't hear what you said. Could you repeat that?"

I said; I didn't realize we would be getting off of the trails to get to the place you're talking about."

I chuckled. "Sorry about that. I forgot to tell you that we would be doing that… Would you rather have me carry you over the rough spots? I'm pretty sure I could." I winked at her good-naturedly.

"I think I'll just walk without your help Edward." She replied.

I shrugged. "The trail might get pretty rough, but don't worry. I'll be there to catch you if you fall."

She rolled her eyes at me but smiled. I was beginning to appreciate Elizabeth's idea of hunting this morning. I wouldn't have lasted as long as I had around Bella if it hadn't been for my morning snack.

I got the cooler out of the back and sighed. I didn't really enjoy the taste of human food, but I'd deal with it just to make sure she felt like I was normal. At least I wouldn't die from eating normal human food.

"So, which trail are we taking?

I pointed to a paved pathway that wound around the trees. It looked exactly like the path Elizabeth had shown me from her childhood. The only difference was the height of the trees. They had grown quite a bit since Liz had been here. "It leads to the main trail. It's going to be a bit of a walk before we get to where we need to be… Would you rather have me drive my car to the actual path or do you want to take the path there?"

Bella looked at the cooler and then looked out across the large forested area. It looked a lot different than the woodland around her house. Her house had a wood around it, but it wasn't that big of a woods. "It doesn't matter to me."

"We will be taking The Lost Sister Trail."

Bella stopped staring at the large woods and looked over at me. "Why is it called The Lost Sister Trail?"

I chuckled. "There is a marker up at the beginning of it that tells the story of Frances Slocum."

"Frances Slocum was stolen from her father's house by Delaware Indians in Pennsylvania. She was only five at the time, and when her brother found her years later at the "Deaf Man's Village" He wasn't sure it was her." I explained as we walked. "Elizabeth told me the story one day when we were up here together." _Well… I guess that could be the truth… I did hear the story from her while she walked me through the park in her mind this morning No what was it that she said about this trail… I can't remember…. _"She tells the story a lot better than I do. Maybe someday we will have to ask her to repeat the story." I smiled at her.

"Yeah, maybe we will…."

"What are you thinking Bella?"

We walked the paved trail. I stopped, remembering that there was a pavilion that was a short walk away from where we were at. I looked at her and smiled.

"Well, I was thinking about how close you and Elizabeth are… you're not even real cousins…." Bella seemed to be a little embarrassed by this piece of information.

I let out a short bark of laughter and wrapped my free hand around her waist. "Calm down Bella. I'm not that into strawberry blonds." I winked at her again and we continued walking.

"You're not? I mean seriously Edward. Have you _seen _Elizabeth? She outranks me by a long shot." I chuckled.

"Bella, you really need you're self esteem boosted. Come on, there is a pavilion on the other side of this wood where we can eat…" _Well you can eat while I suffer with the taste of human food. YECH! _

She smiled at me and we began to walk out towards the road.

"And don't worry; I won't let any big bad cars get you on the way there." I added smiling.

She giggled and we walked down the road and turned left. There was a small playground and a pavilion where we could eat at. She smiled and looked out across the water.

"Wow. I never thought this much green would be so… beautiful."

"You don't like green?"

She sniffed. "I'm more of a brown kind of person. I grew up in Phoenix for most of my life."

I nodded and left her to her thoughts. I sat the cooler down on one of the many picnic tables that were in the wooden structure. It was open, and a slightly cool breeze would on occasion blow through it. I smiled and pulled out the fruits and drinks we had gotten.

"I prefer green myself." I said after a few minutes of silence.

"Why's that?"

I shrugged. "Well, due to Carlisle's job, my adopted siblings and I move around from place to place often. We lived in Forks a little while ago, and then he left Esme, Rosalie, and Emmet to take care of Elizabeth. I wish we knew how her father was. I'm beginning to miss the constant rain."

Bella nodded. "Well, I'm beginning to get sick of the constant thunderstorms that have blown in every day for the past week."

I chuckled. "It's because of the humidity here. It's so humid, there's bound to be plenty of thunderstorms. It's kind of funny. Around here, it doesn't have many days where it's half rainy half sunny. It either rains all day, or it rains all night. Around June is starts getting really hot and humid with no storms."

Bella sighed. "Fun… I like it when it's hot and _dry."_

I chuckled. I could make a very sick joke out of this... "Well I'm sorry… I thought you'd prefer to be hot and _wet."_

She turned a bright red and looked away from me. "I wasn't talking about that kind of stuff." She mumbled awkwardly.

I handed her an apple and then grabbed a pear for myself. "Sorry… I couldn't help myself." I took a bite of the pear and grimaced. _I wish I could eat this without making a face._

We ate in silence, which I preferred because I was too busy concentrating on not making a face every time I ate something or drank a liquid I didn't like. We finished and I packed everything up. "You ready for the trails now?"

Bella nodded and we set off to the car and then onto the trials.

Bella's POV

I was mortified by the trails once we started. The first one we went on had gnarled roots all over the place, and when there weren't any roots, there was a steep over hang on the other side. Edward kept by my side at all times, but I still felt like one trip would send me over the edge of the hills and into the muddy streams below.

I remembered going through the woods in Forks by my father's house. It seemed like a mass cloud of mosquitoes were always waiting for me. I would come running out with bumps from head to toe that itched like hell. It was strange, since Edward was with me, there wasn't even a trace of the blood suckers, even though the weather was muggy enough to have a pandemic of the beasts.

The woods had a lush green glow to them, a large heard of deer didn't even notice our presence, everything was calm, even as I made enough noise with my constant cursing and falling to wake up the dead. It was like the animals didn't even hear me as I stumbled and growled at my klutzy self.

On occasion I heard Edward mutter to himself as he consulted with the map. I heard plenty of phrases of him that were cursing Elizabeth and what he had forgotten she said. I was beginning to wonder what she had done when a fine mist settled around us.

We crossed a road and to my outmost horror, the new trail we were on was more overgrown than the last. I felt my heart in my throat. Edward gently put his arms around me and we walked through this trail. Finally, Edward looked down a slightly less steep path and began to help me down the walkway.

"How much farther?" I complained once we reached the bottom. Edward consulted with the map and turned to me.

"Not much. Don't worry Bella." He smiled.

We walked out onto a sandy beach and I breathed a sigh of relief. With the clouds overcast above and the mist spread out across the lake, everything had an eerie feeling to it. I shivered and looked at Edward. He smiled at me and we continued to walk.

We came to a small cove where seven naturally made pillars came up out of the ground. I looked up at it in awe. Edward smiled at me.

"These are The Seven Pillars of Mississinawa, where the 'Deaf Man's Tribe' held meetings and had a trading post set up." He said softly. "Not many come down here, and I enjoy coming here because of how quiet it is. Come on."

I looked up at the large looming pillars and then up at Edward. Everything was so beautiful in its own mysterious way. Just like Edward.

Once inside the pillars, I realized what Edward was talking about. The large area under the pillars was huge, perfect for meetings and trading. I smiled and sat down underneath one of the large nature made pillars. I looked at Edward. "So why did you bring me here?"

Edward sat next to me and smiled. "Well, I thought you might enjoy having some alone time with me… I wanted to talk and just hang out together, but if you want to leave…"

"No!" I said quickly, my voice bounced off of the cliff and came yelling back at us. "I want to stay."

Edward smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way… So about yesterday…"

I stiffened. "What about it?"

"Well, you seemed to hint that you knew there was something about me that you know? I want to hear your theories."

I blushed. "Well…. I've considered only two things…"

"And those would be?" He prodded gently."

I blushed again. "Well… I highly doubt this one…. But… did you fall into a vat of toxic waste?"

He snorted. "No, come on Bella. You could be a little more… original."

"Yeah right," I rolled me eyes. "I have the imaginational range of a teaspoon."

He chuckled. "I bet you're a little bit more creative than you give yourself credit for."

"I doubt that." I whispered softly. "The second idea is even more ridiculous than the first."

"I'm all ears Bella."

I took in a deep breath. _Well, here it goes… _"You aren't a… a wolf are you…. like a werewolf?"

I felt himself stiffen at the word. He gently turned me towards him. "Where did you hear of those?"

_Was I right? There was no way I could be right about him being a werewolf. _"I saw this huge wolf outside my house a few weeks or so before you showed up across the street with Elizabeth and Carlisle…. _You aren't all werewolves are you?" _I felt my heart stop in fear.

Edward started laughing soflty. "No, we aren't werewolves… though you might want to talk to Elizabeth. She'll have a pretty good story to tell you about werewolves when you get back."

AN: A note on Frances Slocum, The Lost Sister Trail, The Seven Pillars, and Mississinawa; These places and the person are real. I tried to describe Mississinawa as best as I could, but I don't think I did it justice. I've been looking for websites that have good pictures, but so far the DNR sites haven't shown anything promising.

This is the best sight for pictures so far. /miami_

The story of Frances Slocum is actually going to be a pivotal turning point for Edward and Bella in the next chapter or so. I just need to figure out what is going to happen during that chapter. Should I have the La Push Pack and Elizabeth's pack in it and just have Bella come along? Or should it just be Elizabeth, Bella, and Edward? Please review and tell me what you think is best. Talicka

_Replies_

_Sujari6: Well, here's more of Edward and Bella. Sorry it took so long to get them together like this I've been trying to hammer out what I was going to do to get Bella to start questioning Edward's humanness, and I wasn't even originally going with the car wreck idea, but it was either that or some horrible combine incident… and that didn't even turn out right in my head. Hope you enjoyed it _


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13- The Tale of Frances Slocum and the White Wolf

Elizabeth's POV

It was almost ten when I finally shut the book I had been reading, got up from my favorite chair in the living room, and told Carlisle I wouldn't be home until late that night and that he wouldn't have to worry about any surprise visits from Bella because she and Edward were together. He looked up from the his laptop, -Reading up on his notes as he had told me when he had first gotten it out on the airplane here- and gave me a concerned look. I shrugged my shoulders and walked out of the kitchen.

Personally, I didn't see any harm in Edward and Bella being out together. Edward liked Bella a lot and hanging out with her would help him build up some immunity to her smell. But nooooo, Carlisle wasn't going to listen to my side, or Edward's, of the case. I let him keep it at that and just left the house without even telling Carlisle where the two lovebirds went. I wasn't going to ruin their day just because Carlisle didn't want the two of them together. It was too much of a _liability. _Carlisle was sometimes a little too businesslike for my own liking. Edward and Bella were going to enjoy a quiet evening alone without any interruptions from Carlisle, which was all that mattered to me. I didn't care how the rest of my day turned out as long as Edward and Bella were happy.

I already knew today wasn't going to be my day. First thing I had to do was deal with Nathan, and I had a feeling he hadn't eating any raw meat in awhile, which always put him on edge. Stupid mutation. It might have its perks, and really the only drawback was the eating raw meat on occasion. Nathan always made it off to be worse than it was. I sighed, hoping I would be able to talk it all out with him without causing huge brawl. I walked up the stairs towards my room.

I started rummaging through my clothes, looking for my most durable LOF clothing. There was the large possibility that there was going to be a fight, and I didn't want to be running around with torn up clothes. –The clothes didn't disappear when we changed; they just changed with our bodies, so they could still get torn up if they weren't made with reinforced fibers. - I settled for a pair of khaki shorts and a red colored t-shirt. I considered wearing shoes, but it wasn't practical for me to put on a pair of shoes and just kick them off later if a fight started off. I left the pair I had been inspecting in the closet and walked downstairs barefoot.

Carlisle was sitting in my chair on his laptop when I came down. He looked at my bare feet and shook his head. I sighed and went for the door.

"Aren't you going to put on a pair of shoes?" Carlisle asked right before I walked out the door.

I shook my head. "They'd just get destroyed anyway, so why bother?"

He gave me a funky look and returned back to his reading, shaking his head.

_Not everything I do has to be explained to you Dr. Cullen. I know you are taking care of me, but really, I don't need to deal with you asking the constant questions about what I'm doing, where I'm going and all that fun stuff. You're here for your family. I'm here for mine. _I thought angrily as I walked out the door.

Nathan and I lived on opposite sides of Willsboro. I lived on the East side, he lived on the West. It was a good eight miles walk to his house from mine if I calculated right, but it didn't really matter to me. I'd get there by walking and I'd get there when I got there. I needed to clear my head anyway. My thoughts were beginning to get too cluttered for me to think straight.

I was more worried about Edward and Bella than I was about anything to tell the truth. If Edward had taken her down to the Pillars, I was going to kill him. I had specifically told him that he should take the newer Blue Heron Trail. It was safer, had an extra trail that nobody knew of, and led right down to the beach if Edward followed my directions. The Lost Sister Trail would be too much for Bella, and besides, the Pillars were not a good place for a vampire to go, not in these times. I had told Edward to stay away from them, and I hoped he had heeded my warning.

The Lost Sister Trail was eerie to say the least. The best thing I could say about it was that there weren't any hunters- human ones that is- that walked those trails. It was against Indiana state law, but there were too many things wrong with the trail. It was unstable, with plenty of roots to trip over and hills to fall down. I didn't want to see Bella get hurt because of her apparent lack of coordination. Yes, in theory Edward was one of the best people to be around due to his super human abilities, but I still felt uncomfortable letting him go to Pillars alone.

I just hope the guy had used his ears and listened to me.

The reason behind my unease of him going to the wrong place was all because of what tonight was. The Pillars were a meeting place for the pack. It was our war meeting place, our story telling place, and our just plain hang out place. I looked up at the sky and thought about the half moon that would show clear tonight as I came back to my pack. A shiver went up my spine. I had to deal with Nathan before anything.

Maybe I could convince Bella to come with me. She was beginning to pick up on some of the mystery here, and anybody that was the daughter of a friend of my father's was likely to have some interesting power or something to her. I bet by now Edward had told her about Frances Slocum and about who she was… or at least, what the local story is, not what really happened. I'd be able to tell Bella the story of Frances Slocum and the White Wolf. I chuckled as I thought about it. The steady padding of my feet against the concrete was the only company I had as I let my mind wander.

There was so much to do in one night! I had to talk to Nate and reassert my authority as pack leader first of all. Then, I had to rush off to Mississinawa and catch Bella and Edward before they left the place and convince Bella to stay with me while Edward went home. Then, I'd have to show the pack that I was alive –that was going to be fun-, and finally, I had to explain everything to them and join the hunt for Jasper after the meeting. Today was going to be a rough day.

The only major thing I had to do was convince my pack that I was all for their idea of hunting Jasper, while secretly, I would be helping him escape. I couldn't jeopardize the Cullen's anymore than I already had. I had grown too attached to Edward and Carlisle to turn my back on them now. I'd have to make sure and ask Edward where Jasper and Alice where tonight after the meeting as well. I had to keep everybody together or else everything could go horribly wrong, and everything had to work out the way I wanted it to.

I walked around Willsboro, avoiding the small community at all costs. There were too many people that lived in Willsboro that knew me, and if I came down the street with no shoes on, well, I could only imagine the questions I'd receive then. Willsboro didn't deserve the name town in my opinion. It was only a collection of houses, a small gas station, a bar, a local library, and a small volunteer fire department building all clustered together in the span of seven or eight blocks in each direction.

I got around the town quickly, using the surrounding cornfields as shortcuts to get to Nate's house, which was a mile or two west of Willsboro in a community of houses that I refused to call a suburb. His house was a small one story with a brick front and white sided back. I always made fun of the house because of that. Mr. Carson was out front pruning the ornamental pine trees in the front garden. I walked up to him.

"Hey Mr. Carson, is Nate home?" I asked when he turned around to take a swig from the water bottle that was on the ground.

William Carson was the only parent that actually knew about the wolf pack. He was the one who had designed and made the Lupus Optic Fiber outfits. It had cost the farmers a fortune, but they didn't mind having a few well equipped wolves working for them killing off the deer population when it grew too big, so they didn't complain. Thank God. He turned away from the bushes and smiled at me; his slightly tan skin crinkled up around his eyes as he did so. Nathan looked so much like his father.

"Hey Eliza, how were things in Forks? Did you find what you were looking for?" He turned back to his pruning.

"Not really." I said, disappointment was heavy in my voice. "All I found out was that there is no way I'll ever be able to escape what I am." I chuckled. "Jasper Cullen has a hard ass bite… Oops… Sorry Mr. Carson."

"It's fine. Let me see that pattern around your neck."

I nodded and lifted my head up so that he could see where Jasper had bitten me.

He let out a low whistle. "Your beginning to have a little necklace of scares around your neck."

"That's why I've been asking you to finish up that LOF scarf. I don't want to deal with people asking me where those scares came from. It's a very uncomfortable subject."

Mr. Carson nodded. "Don't worry. I'll finish it before school"

I nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem, but what brings you here?"

"Your son has overstepped his boundaries again." I said grimly.

He shook his head sadly and snip at the upper reaches of the pine bush. The smell of the freshly cut pine needles sent me back to my childhood in North Dakota when Dad had been sent to work in Grand Forks. Good old Why Not Minot.

"Well, he thought you were dead Eliza. I know you're touchy about the whole leader of the pack, but he had good reasons."

I rolled my eyes. "I told him he'd know if I had died or not. He was looking for an excuse to become leader, just like he always does when he hasn't had any raw meat in his system. I told you to make sure he ate properly."

Mr. Carson shrugged. "I tried. All he does is push it away and say that he is not an animal. He hates having the mutation Eliza. You of all people should understand that." He chuckled. "I tried to tell him you weren't dead. That boy keeps getting more and more stubborn as he gets older. Just like his mother." He let out a low sigh. "I hope she's doing okay."

Nate and I both lived with our fathers, gone through two divorces, and we both went to see our mothers in the summer. His lived in Arizona while mine lived in Nevada. We would meet up by the Hover Dam or the Grand Canyon, since both were within traveling distances for both of us. We'd often sneak out at night because of that. It was a nice thing to know I had at least one person I could hang around with, even though we weren't what we should have been.

"Is Nate the only one home? I kind of need to talk to him alone." I growled while clenching my fists. One thing Nate would never understand about me was that when it came to my pack and my authority, nothing would stop me from restoring the correct order.

"No, but I'll tell Nate to meet you outside. I don't want my just recently cleaned house to be destroyed because my son and soon to be daughter-in-law are having another rumble."

I cringed as he said daughter-in-law. "I told you Mr. Carson, Nate is not the guy for me. We can't be anything more than friends. I'll be out back." I growled and walked around the house. I loved Mr. Carson dearly, but he made me feel like something had gone horribly wrong because Nate and I hadn't _imprinted_. I shivered. I hated that word.

I knew Mr. Carson was worried about me, but he didn't ask any questions, or ask me what was wrong. I was glad he didn't. He was a great guy and an amazing father figure when my dad wasn't around, but he would never be my Father-in-law. I cringed again.

Nathan was outside in a matter of minutes. He had the slightly craze look in his eyes that I knew too well to be the wild wolf in him. I shook my head. Not eating raw meat did that to the two of us. It was the mutation. It might have had its perks, but the bad part was the constant craving for raw meat. Unlike Nathan, I didn't refuse my body its needs. I needed raw meat to keep my sanity. If that was the price I had to pay, then so be it.

"Long time no see Nathan." I said softly, hoping that there was still some of his sanity left.

There wasn't. He turned around and let out a low growl. His brown eyes were wide with terror and anger.

I walked towards him. "Nathan, calm down." I soothed, hoping, praying, that he wouldn't attack.

"Why should I? You left us! You left us and then died!" His voice had an edge of hysteria to it.

"I'm alive Nathan." I muttered. "I'm not dead. I told you that this wasn't your place." He took as step towards me, thick black fur sprouting across his body. "You are not the leader of _my _pack." I growled.

Thunder boomed overhead as it began to sprinkle slightly. The clouds overhead began to swirl and the wind slowly began to pick up, thrashing the tress and corn spouts with its harsh claws. Everything around us had an animalistic feel as Nathan prepared to attack. I shivered and let the fire burn through me. I changed with ease and was now standing a good three feet higher than Nate. He let go of his human self as soon as I changed and was now at my height. I growled.

"Nathan Carson!" I said using the commanding voice of an Alpha. "I am not dead and I told you that you are never going to be the Alpha as long as I live."

He launched his large body at me before I could finish what I was saying.

Bella's POV

It seemed like years had passed when Edward finally stood up and looked up at the sky. I had been content to stay in his arms, but I knew we would have to leave sooner or later. I sighed and stood up.

"You okay?"

He nodded without looking away from the sky. He then turned to me and smiled. "We should get going. It'll probably start raining soon and I don't want to be stuck down here when it does."

I sighed again and nodded my head. "Well then let's get going."

I felt horrible leaving the beautiful outcropping behind. It was almost as if everything had clicked and everything felt right. Edward and I had talked very little, and when we did talk, it had been about our interests and family. Edward cared a lot about his family from the way he talked about them.

I looked at my watch to see what time it was. It was noon. "Will we come back here sometime?"

Edward smiled and nodded. "The next day it's cloudy like this I will."

I frowned and then nodded. I had been hoping he'd say next time when it was sunny out. I had a feeling the Pillars were five times as beautiful to see during a sunny day or during the sunset, but I didn't question him. I had enjoyed today too much to try and complain about whether it was sunny or not.

We walked up the beach, hand in hand. Edward stopped to pull out the map. He looked closely at the directions and smiled. "Right there is the path… I think." He muttered.

"You think or you know?"

"I know. Come on, we'll be back to the parking lot in no time."

A low howl rose up in the distance. Edward stiffened up in front of me and gently took my hand in his.

Something was wrong.

"Bella, do you think you can make up it this path without falling?" Edward asked, concern was etched across his face.

I nodded. "As long as you're here to help me, I think I can."

He nodded and we began to quickly climb to the top. Edward sometimes picked me completely off of the ground with ease. We started walking quickly through the woods. All of the calmness from this morning was gone.

Something wasn't just wrong. Something was _very _wrong.

Elizabeth's POV

I tore at Nathan's throat, battering at his already bloody sides as he fell down on top of me. I knew I was close to winning, but he just wouldn't give up. I managed to twist out from under him, but he launched his body at me before I could get another attack in. We flipped down underneath the large willow tree that grew in his backyard. We were snarling and ripping at whatever we could get a hold of. I let out a loud yelp of pain when his sharp fangs crunched down on my already broken left forepaw.

Snarling with anger, I pushed his large body off of me and sent him flying into the trunk of the willow. I wasn't going to let him win. Not now, not ever.

I stood slowly, barley putting any pressure on my broken foot. It was already setting back into place, but that was normal.

Nathan stood up and let out a low menacing growl. Blood was beginning to fall into his eyes from where I had gotten a good swipe at his head. He launched himself at me again. This time, I easily dodged the attack, wincing as I put pressure on my paw.

_**Stop it Nate. **_I commanded suddenly, realizing that I should have done this before he had even tried to attack. Why did I always think about these things _after _everything had happened?

Nathan stopped and let out a low growl. I let out a long mental sigh when he didn't attack me again.

_Nathan, you need to go and eat some raw meat. __**Now.**_

Nathan's sanity was too far gone to respond in a human way, so he just chuffed at me and took off. I knew I'd see him again at The Seven Pillars, and he would be in a -hopefully- much better metal state than he was right now.

I closed my eyes and thought about where I my pack was. They were sixty miles or more away in Miami County. Fuck, they were going right for Edward and Bella.

Today was definitely the worst day of my life.

Jacob's POV

We rushed through the woods up by the Mississinawa Dam together as a large pack. Fourteen wolves after one vampire, there was no way he'd win against our numbers. We just hoped it was the right scent. Haley had picked up it up back by Elizabeth's old house. George let out a long low howl from across the reservoir. He was on his way to join up with us. Soon enough, that blood sucker would be dead once and for all. My jaws watered as I thought about it.

_**EVERYBODY PULL BACK OR FACE THE CONSIQUENSES!**_

The snarl that came across was feral, angry, and… female. I would've expected it to be Nathan, but his mental state had been on the decline since a few days ago, that and the voice was _female. _The pack had told us that Nate just needed to get some raw meat in his system anyway, so we all brushed off his state of sanity.

I stopped, not because I had to obey the order, but because of the voice that had yelled it. Like I had said before, it was female, and I wanted to see who was behind that voice.

**Pull back NOW! It's not Jasper guys! It's Howard! He's by the Pillars. **

The voice was screaming in everybody's minds. I saw some of the pack flinch at the mental call, but most were by my side. Haley padded towards me and looked at me.

_That's your wolf girl you that was dead. _She thought simply. _She's protecting her friends, like always. I wonder why Howard is here though. He never strays this far from our borders._

_That's because I told him to leave the pack's territory Haley. It's not safe with you guys going after every vampire scent you come across. _Elizabeth thought as she walked into the woods. She was just off of a main road by her Escalade. Obviously she was on the way to pick somebody up. _Haley, I'm going to go tell Howard to get out of the Pillars. Circle around the woods and make sure none of his friends are here as well. I want tonight to be a good night for a friend of mine. She'll be joining us._

_Okay, is she a wolf like Jake, Quil, and Embry?_

_No Haley. I'll tell you my story tonight by the barn. For now, just circle around the woods for me okay?_

_Okay._

_Oh and Jacob?_

I stiffened when I heard my name mentioned. _Yes?_

_Go with Haley. I know you're wondering what the fuck I'm talking about, but you'll find out soon enough. Don't worry. _

_Okay. _

Her presence faded from my mind as quickly as she had appeared. I looked at Haley.

_Let's go!_

Bella's POV

We reached the parking lot just as a large navy Escalade pulled up. I recognized it immediately when I saw the small silver dragons on the door. The brakes squealed as Elizabeth executed a crazy u-turn and skidded to a halt beside us.

"Edward! Bella!" She yelled as the window rolled down. "There you two are." She smiled at us and then turned her attention to Edward. She did not look happy. "I told you to take The Blue Heron Trail idiot." She growled.

Edward just nodded his head. "Sorry, I guess I wasn't paying attention."

Elizabeth snorted. "Well I told you to pay attention to what I said. The Lost Sister Trail is no place for a person with little coordination… sorry Bella."

I shrugged. "Eh, it's the truth. Don't worry about it."

"Okay, so he took you to The Seven Pillars right?"

I nodded. "It's amazing. How did Edward find a place like that?"

Elizabeth snorted and started to laugh. "He didn't. I did about five years ago when I was ten, and even then somebody showed me the way." She smiled and then looked at Edward again. "Carlisle wants you home pronto. I don't know what you did but he seems really pissed." A long pause ensued and I guessed that she and Edward were having one of those mental conversations that I didn't understand. Elizabeth turned back to me. "A few of my friends and I are going to be meeting back at the Pillars in a few minutes or so. It's a little early for us to start our normal meetings, but I'm sure they won't mind. Do you want to tag along? It's going to be really fun. We get this big bon-fire set up and everything."

I shifted slightly. "Well, I don't know…" I looked at Edward for guidance. He looked at Elizabeth. _Insert mental conversation here. _I thought dryly as he nodded at her.

"Go ahead Bella. I'll make sure to tell your mom where you are if you think she'll worry about you."

I nodded. "Okay…"

Elizabeth's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "Perfect! Get in the car!" She smiled at Edward. "See you later Eddie."

Edward growled and walked towards his Volvo. I walked around the Escalade and got inside.

"Why did you call him Eddie?" I asked.

Elizabeth laughed. "It's just to push his buttons. He hates it when I call him that."

"Oh okay… Umm… I thought we were going to The Seven Pillars?"

Elizabeth started laughing. "Edward doesn't know there is an easier way there. I tried to convince him not to take you there because he doesn't know Mississinawa as well as I do." She let out a light snort. "Did he have my map with him?"

I nodded.

"He told you that he had stolen it off of me three years ago correct?"

I nodded again.

Elizabeth started laughing again. "He's never been here once in his life. Those are _my _directions for _him, _and he can't even follow those. You see, there are two trails that are marked on that map. One that was in red X's so that way he'd know not to go on it and one that was just a straight line." She shook her head. "He never was one for maps." She smiled. "Let me show you the _easy _way down to the pillars… after we have some dunch. I'm starved."

"Dunch?"

Elizabeth smiled. "Dinner and Lunch combined. Kind of like brunch… If you want to think of it that way."

"Oh okay."

It was six by the time we got out of Peru and started back for the reservoir. We had eaten at Los Tres Caminos, otherwise known as _The three roads _in English. I had enjoyed the meal thoroughly the chips had been warm when we had revived them and the salsa was really good. I had never had such good Mexican food in my life, and that was saying something because I had lived in Arizona. After we had eaten, we went out shopping for a little bit. Elizabeth had gotten a few lawn chairs, some marshmallows, chocolate, and some other camping things.

"Oh wow, I don't think I'll be able to eat any of the stuff you got Elizabeth. I'm stuffed from the Mexican food."

Elizabeth laughed. "Don't worry, if you don't eat, the others will. You don't realize how many people I'm talking about being there."

I leaned back in the seat and watched as we pulled into the woods of Mississinawa. "How many are going to be there?"

Elizabeth passed the parking lot that Edward and I had parked at earlier this morning and continued driving. "Well… There's Nathan, George, Haley, Toa, Ginger, Holy, Brandon, Marks, his real name is Marcus but he prefers Marks, Jacob and his two friends, um…. That makes eleven…. Then there's Zack, Jazz, his real name is Victor but his middle name is Jack so he calls himself Jazz," She shrugged. "We never could figure out why he chose that for his nickname. That makes what… thirteen?"

I counted the names and nodded. "Yea that does."

"And then you and me. So that makes fifteen people." Elizabeth pulled up to a boat dock and turned the Escalade off. "Don't worry, we'll be following the beach out. No roots, no quicksand. Nothing but grass."

I felt relief rush over me. The sun wasn't out still even though to the west the clouds were beginning to fade, so it was pretty dark for so early in the night. I didn't want to go through that woods in the dark, let alone go down that steep cliff that led down to the Pillars.

"Great… Do you need any help with the stuff in the trunk?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "The heaviest things in there are the chairs, and they aren't that bad because they're all folded up and in bags." She pulled out a backpack from her backseat. "That and I won't really be carrying them."

I smiled. She was a smart girl.

We walked down the beach towards The Seven Pillars. A fire was dancing in and out of view as we followed a well worn path through the grass. A couple of times I had the shit scared out of me by a few of Elizabeth's friends, but it was all in good fun. We laughed it all off and before I realized it, we were under the Pillars. The sun was low on the horizon.

"Wow, you can't even tell there had been clouds out at all today." I found myself speaking my thoughts out loud. Elizabeth nodded and began to set up the three chairs she had bought as well as the two that were already in the back of her vehicle. She turned to three Indian boys and smiled.

"Hey you three, I brought you some seats. Thought it would be better than you sitting on the floor."

They all smiled. "Thanks Elizabeth." The tallest of the three said. He had straight slightly long black hair and rich russet color skin. I recognized him from somewhere.

"No problem Jake." She smiled.

Now where had I heard the name Jake? It sounded so familiar.

"Hello, you must be Elizabeth's friend. I'm Jacob Black." He said turning towards me.

"I- I'm Bella, Bella Swan."

His eyes brightened up as he recognized my name. "You must know my sisters."

Suddenly I remembered where I'd heard the name Jacob Black before, he was the son of Billy Black, a close friend of my father's. "Rachel and Rebecca right?" Charlie and Billy had thrown the three of us together plenty of times when they would go on their fishing trips. I had never become good friends with them, but I knew who they were.

His smiled widened. "Yeah. You'd be surprised how much Charlie misses you." He said shrugging. "Maybe you could come over to La Push next time you're out to see him. I'd be happy to show you around."

I smiled. Going back to Charlie's wouldn't be a bad idea if both Edward and this Jake kid lived there, but unfortunately, the relationship I saw with Jacob could only be a friendship. Edward had taken my heart earlier today while we were here.

"Hey Elizabeth! Toss me those marshmallows please!" A young kid that looked about fourteen said.

"Sure thing Toa…" She pulled out the bag of marshmallows and tossed it to him without even looking at him.

Elizabeth straightened up and looked around the large bonfire at all fifteen of us. She seemed to look older; the firelight added what seemed like ages of wisdom and life to her. She smiled at me and then began walking around the fire.

"Before we begin our monthly gathering, I wouldn't mind everybody getting acquainted with each other. Since there are two of you I do not know and a whole slew of people Bella doesn't know. How about we each state our name, and one thing about us?"

The group nodded and whispers of agreement were heard across the circle. The flames danced across everybody's face. I felt like I was in a different time period.

"Now before we begin, I need to explain to the La Push boys and Bella something important." She turned towards us. "If any of us, and I mean any of the twelve kids, including me, that sit in front of you say that they are a certain animal, it is not anything that involves voodoo or wiccan beliefs. Most of us are descendents of the Delaware Indian tribe that used to roam these lands. It is a part of the old beliefs that we have a certain… spirit guide that show us the way when we are lost. The animal we mention is most like us and tends to act the most like us. Do you understand?"

We all nodded. I really felt like I was in a different time period now.

"I'll start." Elizabeth said softly. "My name is Elizabeth Frost, and I am called the Teller of Tales. Not because that is what is expected of me, but because I know the most legends and stories that were passed down from Indian to Indian to farmer to us." She had now walked completely around the circle and was once again in front of her chair. She sat down.

Jacob stood up next. "I am Jacob Black, I am a Quileute Indian from La Push. I fix up cars in my free time." He didn't explain much else besides that.

Then next boy stood up. "I'm Embry. I don't get out of Washington often and I'm from the same reservation Jake is." He sat down quickly.

"I'm Quil. I come from La Push as well. Our tribe believes we descended from wolves."

Everybody stood up and explained who they were. A few mentioned animal guides like the hawk, wolf, and one even mentioned polar bear. Jazz, I think, was the one that mentioned that. His blond hair was spiked up and had light blue tips. Soon enough, the boy next to me, Nathan, stood up.

"I am Nathan Carson. Call me Nate, I prefer that over my real name. I've been through a lot in my life, and I have to admit, my sanity can be questioned from time to time. Elizabeth has always been there for me when I've needed her. Especially today… Welcome home Liz." He said softly and then sat down. I heard the extra murmurs of 'Welcome home' where added on to Nate's after he sat down. I gulped. It was my turn. I stayed sitting down.

"I-I'm Isabella Swan… Call me Bella, please. I… I don't do well in front of large groups." I swallowed softly after I was done.

Elizabeth gently patted my arm. "Don't worry Bella. We're not like a group of people from school. Everybody here considers each other to be family. Even if we aren't." She stood back up. "Now that that is done and over with, it is time for the tales to be told." She smiled at me especially and then turned back to the group. "Now what tale should be told tonight?" Elizabeth giggled to herself. "Should I tell about the time Toa got stuck in the dog house that had a beehive in it?"

A chorus of laughter followed her suggestion. Toa slunk down in his seat.

"Don't worry Toa, I'll save that story for your children, or maybe, somebody else will be telling that story to them. What a family legacy to live up to huh?"

"Well what about your legacy Eliza?" Nathan said over the laughter. "What will your children do when they realize the size of the shoe you're legacy leaves for them to fill."

I saw Elizabeth gulp slightly. "It won't be any bigger than yours Nathan and you and I both know that. Just because I am the 'Teller of Tales'" She did the little hand quotation marks as she spoke the title. "Doesn't mean that my legacy is any better than yours or anybody else's."

Nathan stayed quiet.

"But, besides legacy's… I think I know what tale will be told tonight." She had began walking around outside of the circle now. Everybody's eyes were on her. I shivered as I thought about how I would have reacted if I was the one standing where she was at.

"What one is that Elizabeth?" Somebody asked, I wasn't paying attention to who.

Elizabeth smiled. "I am the one who tells all. All my friends know my call." She whispered softly. "The moon is bright for tonight, and this is the story of one who was white." She continued in a sing song like voice. "Not just a woman who walked among us, but of a wolf, who gained our trust." She stopped in front of me. "A white woman among Indians in the 1800's was strange to see. It was stranger than seeing a wolf in Indiana in fact." She looked down at me. Her eyes gaining years of wisdom. "Fate is a funny thing, Bella." She whispered softly. "I am going to tell you the Tale of Frances Slocum and the White Wolf." She said as she straightened up and sat down in her chair. "Listen one, listen all. Everyone here knows my call." She said again in her sing song voice.

"Some say that Frances had a connection with those who walk in the shadows… those who avoid the sun at all costs… Others say she could… see things others could not. Fate is a funny thing. It brings people who normally wouldn't have even glanced at each other together.

"Now, most of the people here tonight know the story that everybody that has read that sign at the beginning of The Lost Sister Trail know, but there is a legend within that story. A very important legend that explains where the white wolf, a very important character in all of our legends, came from, and how Frances Slocum brought her here.

"Frances Slocum was taken from her home in Pennsylvania during the Wyoming Raids. Sometimes people get confused and think she was from Wyoming because of the name of the raids. She was only five years old, and the reason why she was originally taken from her family was because her mother didn't want her little brother to die due to an infection he had in his leg.

"That is how she became a part of the Delaware Indian tribe here on this reservoir. Now, you have to understand, here on the reservoir, Frances was no longer called Frances. Her name was Little Bear… well, that's what the translation meant if I remember correctly. She was named Little Bear because of her screams and crying on the way from her home. She was terrified, as any five year old would be.

"Little Bear grew up with the Delaware Indians and learned their language. By the time she was sixteen, most of the Indians knew she wasn't born into the tribe, but she was well taken care of, and the Chief's son was showing an interest in her.

"Now, this is the interesting part. You see, the Delaware Indians never really told this story to anybody outside of the tribe, and I shouldn't be explaining this to you three either, but I think we can trust you. So, I will tell you something most people don't know about them."

I was glued to every word that Elizabeth spoke. I could see the tribe, Frances, and feel everything that she spoke. I looked around at the group of people sitting around me, but instead of people. I saw animals. Large wolves to be exact, and the largest of all of them was Elizabeth. She was a bright white color and her eyes blazed with the story she told. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My eyes had to be deceiving me.

"The Delaware Indians believed that one day, Little Bear would save them with the White Wolf.

"But who was the white wolf? Nobody really knew, until one day, a coyote strayed into camp… Right here, under these seven pillars. Most of the time, the tribe would chase out any unwanted animals out of camp, but Little Bear insisted that they shouldn't do anything to the animal.

"The chieftain of the tribe at the time couldn't believe what Little Bear had said. Coyotes weren't good for anything, not even for guarding the village, but Little Bear didn't let anybody go near the animal. Finally, the chieftain ordered that the animal be killed. Little Bear ran over to the poor animal and screamed. 'No! What has this creature done to you?' She waited to see if anybody said anything, the tribe stayed quiet. 'Nothing! Why should you kill it when it hasn't done anything?'

"To everyone's surprise, the coyote transformed into the chieftain of the other tribe. 'Brothers,' he called out loud and clear across the clearing. 'I come with a message. The white man are on the move again… They are planning on taking our land from us!' The tribe gasped at the news. 'I couldn't come here from my village as a man because the whites have taken it hostage.'"

Everything faded from view. I felt dizzy. Something was wrong with me. I tried to keep my eyes open, but it was as if ten pound weights were pulling my eyelids down. I drifted into a deep slumber as Elizabeth's voice continued the story.

_My head hurt when I opened my eyes, but something was different. I wasn't surrounded by Elizabeth or the wolves anymore. I was at The Seven Pillars, but there was nobody but me there. I started walking down the path towards Elizabeth's Escalade, but I stopped before I reached the place where the boat dock had been. _

_It was gone! _

_All I could see was the natural river that flowed through the land, no dam, no roads, no cars. Everything that involved technology was gone. _

_What the fuck was going on?_

_A large white wolf walked out of the trees. It had the same grey eyes as Elizabeth's, but I wasn't sure if it was her. _

I've been waiting for you Isabella.

_It _was _Elizabeth, but how could that be? She was busy telling the story back in the real world._

_She chuckled softly, it was a weird noise to hear coming from a wolf. It almost sounded like a purr. _There are a few tricks that are up my sleeve that you wouldn't know about just yet Bella, but you will.

_What are you talking about? I wondered as I walked up to her._

If you haven't noticed, I'm not really talking… you see, your still wide awake listening intently to my story while I am still telling it, but there is a fine line that you crossed a few minutes ago… You're in the dream world. A world that is connected to wolves, where no matter where you are, you can communicate to a pack member… I know I know… It's a hard idea to swallow, but I'll explain it to you later… Tonight, as you dream, I will come and speak to you. You can see things Bella. You're just like Frances Slocum and the Original White Wolf. We are linked… as weird as that sounds.

_What are you talking about? I knew I was repeating myself, but it was a heard fact to swallow. I had absolutely no clue what the hell Elizabeth was talking about._

Later Bella, I'll explain most of it on the drive home, but for now, you and I need to return back to the real world. The story is almost finished, and it's getting late. I'll tell you everything. I promise.

"BELLA! Bella!"

The quick shakes of Elizabeth woke me up from my slumber. I opened my eyes and found myself sitting under the Pillars. Most of the people where beginning to pack up their things, but Elizabeth, Jake, and Nate where all standing over me with a worried look in their eyes.

"Did I fall asleep?" I muttered incoherently.

Elizabeth nodded. "Yeah, you freaking scared me half to death!" She said as she folded her arms. "Was I seriously that boring?"

I shook my head quickly and stood up. I almost fell forward as the blood rushed to my head. I groaned and was thankful that both Jake and Nate had been beside me. They had a firm hold of me until I could walk. Elizabeth was looking at me with concern. "Nate, will you please take my things to your place? I think I should get Bella home A.S.A.P."

Nate nodded. "Okay Chief." He said jokingly.

Elizabeth helped me along the beach towards her car. "God I thought you were stuck there." She kept muttering to herself. "A human that can access the wolf world. Who knew? It's just like the legend. Frances could see things other's could not… It's what linked her and the first white wolf together. Just as the bond between yin and yang brought the Black Wolf and White wolf together."

"What are you talking about Elizabeth?" I muttered when we reached her Escalade and I was safely buckled in.

Elizabeth jumped into her side and looked at me. "You're a dream walker Bella. If you had managed to stay in the real world long enough, the legend would have made a lot of things clear to you… Well, I guess there is no turning back now…." She sighed.

"What the fuck is a dream walker?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "This has got to be the worst day in my life." She mumbled softly.

"Sorry? Is that my fault?" I mumbled as I curled up against the seat.

"Not really. It's mine." She said softly.

AN: Wow, these last two chapters are my longest chapters ever. Please review and tell me what you think of Bella's little gift. I would have had Edward in this chapter, but I don't really think the La Push boys or the Willsboro Pack would have enjoyed his company much. He'll be in the next one a lot more. I promise. Talicka

_Replies:_

_Sujari6: Well, there is the connection with Frances that you were asking about. I'm still working out what exactly keeps pulling her to the aquarium, but I've got a feeling it's got a lot to do with her being a Dream walker. I was wondering, have you ever written your own fanfics or been a beta before? You don't have to answer, I was just curious. I look forward to what you write next! _


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